Come Back To Me
by DaggersOfEmotion
Summary: A sequel to my Harry Potter story: Brick By Boring Brick. Jenny finds herself at a turning point, all of her unanswered questions could be answered by making one single choice. But this choice comes with a consequence. It could cost her everything.
1. Don't Tell Me

"George, ketchup" I held out my hand as George tossed me the ketchup.

"Don't throw it!" Mrs. Weasley squealed as it flew across the table. I smiled as George took the quick scolding. Although I was like one of the family, Mrs. Weasley still seemed to favor me. Fred, George, and I exchanged glances before going back to our food. After we ate we were going to play quidditch out back.

"I'm full, Mum," Ron announced before clearing his dish. Ron was _never_ full.

"Me too, thanks for the meal" I got up and hurried outside after him.

"Oh, you're welcome, dear!" she seemed pleased that I was so polite. In my mind, I was still a guest, though no one seemed to notice. I ran to the shed and pulled out some broomsticks while Ron dug for the quaffle. I tossed Ginny her broom while Fred drew two goals in the air, hovering about twenty feet off of the ground. Thankfully, there were no muggles in the area so we could do this sort of thing.

"Two on two," Ron announced, running to the center of the field. He was our referee, since he wasn't as good at flying as any of us. He was fine with it, saying that he knew everything about quidditch, so it would be a good position for him. Not to mention that if he played, the teams wouldn't be even.

"If Harry were here, we could all play," I noted, with agreements from everyone but Ron, who threw the quaffle in the air almost immediately, beginning the game.

Ginny played offense with Fred while I guarded the hoop. George made threatening faces at me, with, of course, the occasional grin when he successfully distracted me.

"Foul!" I shouted.

"What?"

"You were making faces! That didn't count!"

"If he's distracting you, don't look at him!" Ron shouted up at me. I pouted, but took the advantage of the quaffle soaring towards me to butt it back and hit Fred. If I couldn't hit George from over here, his twin was the next best thing.

"That's not fair! I didn't do anything to you!" Fred shouted, rubbing his chest as if I actually hurt him.

"Oh, really? Because you just tried to score while _George_ over there distracted me! Don't act like I don't know what you two think!"

"Yes!" Ginny cheered, scoring while I was distracting her brothers.

"Hey!" they yelled in unison. Ron sat, howling in laughter, on the back porch. Behind him, inside the house, I spotted Mrs. Weasley.

"Well, that's it for me folks," I saluted them and floated to the ground, "Lieutenant Weasley, time to prove yourself" I tossed the broom at him, and he obliged happily.

I hurried inside and into the kitchen, "do you need help clea-" I stopped when I saw she was reading a letter. I wouldn't have thought much of it, had she not had her hand covering her face. "Mrs. Weasley?" I reached out to her.

"Jenny dear, why don't you sit down," she took my hand and led me to the couch.

"Why?" I asked, horrified. If there was something she needed to tell me that I had to sit down for, it had to be extreme. It could be good or bad, but I had the feeling I wasn't going to be happy for long.

"Well, it is well into July, and if you remember at the beginning of summer I told you-"

"-that Karen was moving. I remember, but why…"

I hadn't been in contact with Karen since Fall.

_The paper Mrs. Weasley is holding, could it be… _I looked up at the clock, noticing a new hand had been added. When had that happened?

"Don't tell me she's…" I couldn't finish. Her eyes softened and I knew. "No…" I shook my head, "no." I tore my hand from hers and stood, turning to go to my room when Ron, Ginny, Fred, and George walking into the house, suddenly quiet when they saw me.

"Don't tell me you knew," I questioned. Their sympathetic looks were too much to handle. "You _knew_ and you didn't tell me?" my voice rose and I felt myself losing control, so I ran. I ran and I shut the door behind me.

No one tried to open it.

How long had they known? How long had it been since it happened? Why hadn't they told me until now?

They've been lying this whole time.

I was alone. With Karen gone, I had no one. My mother was gone, I knew of no other family members. Whether connection was lost through so many moves or they were deceased, I knew not. All I knew was that my father was the only one left and I didn't even know his first name.

I pulled out my notepad and quill Hermione had given me.

Hermione.

I hadn't heard from her at _all_ this summer. Ron hadn't read any letters on front of me, but I was certain she had sent him some. Hermione had promised us all that she would write every day, and she made us promise, too. They were empty words, though. Harry hadn't written either. I knew I wouldn't have heard from Ron at all, had I not been living with him.

I began writing what I knew and continued to do so until I passed out.

Hey everyone. Thanks so much for reading my story! Any review is a gracious gift to receive :] I will be out of town for a week. I'm going to Tennessee to help with the National Relief Network's flood relief efforts. Then I have my sweet 16 and my senior year starts! Busy Bee :] I'll post more when I get back from my trip, August 7th or 8th. Thanks!


	2. Salvation

I spent days like this, sitting on my bed trying to piece bits together. I was beginning to scare Mrs. Weasley, I think. I hadn't eaten either, no matter how often she left steaming food on my bedside table. I was too focused on my work. Every little connection was something closer to my father, though I hadn't gathered much information at all. I had been distracted by school and friends and…

Harry.

Harry would know how I felt, unlike any of the Weasleys. They haven't experienced _real_ loss. Harry had lost both of his parents and had gone through terrible things, perhaps worse than what I had experienced.

I looked over at Ginny, sleeping peacefully on her bed. Surely she wouldn't wake if I were careful.

I slid my legs over the edge of the bed, my feet tingling from the movement. I changed into jeans and a lightweight shirt before slipping into my shoes. I swung my mokeskin pouch over my shoulder and grabbed my wand. I opened the window slowly, careful to conceal any creaking, and stepped backwards until I was by the bedroom door. I pulled my broom out of my pouch and glanced at Ginny, sound asleep and hugging her pillow.

"…cabbage is tasty…" she mumbled before snorting and rolling over.

I relaxed, realizing she was still asleep and pushed off of the ground, gliding clear through the window. I had done this before, last winter, out of my dorm window in the Gryffindor tower. I hadn't been so graceful, then.

Come to think of it, I wasn't being particularly wise at the moment, either. I pulled my wand out and cast the Bedazzling hex on my broom and myself. I felt comfort at the feel of cool water dripping down my back, notifying me that my spell was in effect. It was dark out now, but in a few hours the sun would rise and muggles would be on their way to work.

Muggles.

_I'm even thinking British, now._

Harry lived East from here, that was certain. I knew he lived in Little Whinging, Surrey, but I never asked his address. It'll be enough, surely.

"Point me," I held my wand flat on my palm. It spun around and stopped due North. I turned my broom accordingly and leaned forward, kicking my ankles over the back of my broom and crossing them. The broom wasn't very comfortable, but it was better than sitting in the same position.

The sun rose, and the sky turned an alarming shade of pink. It was beautiful.

Then I remembered that muggles would be coming out soon. I pulled out my wand, "Point me." Well, I was going in the right direction. I had been on my broom for about two hours, going about sixty miles per hour. If I doubled my speed I would be there in maybe 20 minutes.

Perhaps, when I saw Harry, I would ask him about his parents. Surely he had similar feelings to mine, with his parents being murdered and all. I've never seen Voldemort, but maybe it was him who killed Mom.

_I watched helplessly from the cupboard as she fell to the ground, twisting and turning in pain, as I could do nothing to stop it. Why couldn't she just give him what he wanted so he would leave? As she felt physical pain, I felt my own pain in my chest. It was as if I was the one being hurt. _

_He shouted at her, and suddenly she stopped moving all together. Cursing, he paced the room before going upstairs. When he was gone, I climbed out from hiding and ran to her side. _

"_Mommy, he's gone, let's go!" I whispered desperately, but she wouldn't move. I heard him cursing, storming down the stairs. I looked around, desperate for a place to hide. I ran to the corner and curled onto my knees behind the couch. I could hear him blasting through the kitchen, searching. _

I gazed dreamily at my necklace, the sun's rays making the ruby sparkle. The sun was high in the sky, I was sure to be close, if not past, Little Whinging by now. I dove down and landed in an empty park. Surely it would be fine to start walking from here. No one would see, and if they did they would merely convince themselves they had been mistaken. After all, people can't be invisible.

I was about to lift the hex, but I realized I was not alone. There was a boy on the swings, and there were more coming. They seemed to be in a sort of pack, with a larger boy leading them.

"Hey Big D, beat up another ten year old?" Harry asked. _Harry!_ He had cut his hair. I was so used to his long tousled black hair that I hadn't recognized him.

_How am I to talk to him if these muggles are here?_ I moved closer, their faces in full focus now.

"This one deserved it," Dudley's face puffed up in defense. _So this is his cousin. _Harry had told me about his life at the Dursleys'. He never spoke ill of them directly, but he never hinted that he liked going there.

"Five against one? Very brave," Harry didn't have to tell me that he didn't like his cousin- it was obvious.

"Well, you're one to talk! Mumbling in your sleep every night- at least I'm not afraid of my pillow," his goons laughed with him. I snorted; they were revolting- the worst sort of people. "Don't kill Cedric! Who's Cedric? Your boyfriend?"

"Shut up," Harry snapped. I clenched my fists, resisting the excited pulse from my wand. It was just _screaming_ at me to curse the prat.

"He's going to kill me, Mum! Where is your mum? Where is your mum, Potter? Is she dead?" I lunged forward, swinging my fist at his face. I was surprised at my power, seeing that I had knocked him to the ground. Dudley's eyes darted around, trying to find the source of the hit. His friends helped him stand, only to flee once he was on his feet. Apparently, they were nothing without their leader.

Harry's laughter made me turn. Did he know it was me? I calmed myself, making sure I was composed (and that the muggles had left) before I risked reaching for my wand. I lifted the hex, revealing myself to Harry.

"Nice right hook," he noticed my necklace and grinned even wider. _Let's not get cocky, now, Harry!_

"Thanks," I beamed at the compliment. At that moment, looking into his green eyes, I felt almost as if the world was perfect and my problems had melted away. My fantasy, however, was shattered when storm clouds formed rapidly above us. I looked at the sky, and back to Harry. They were forming more rapidly than nature would allow- almost as if magic had caused it.

They reminded me of the storm in my dream.


	3. Dudley

"Harry, we have to get to shelter," I said urgently, a new fear rushing through me. He stood up and began running. Not knowing the area, I followed him. Rain poured down like heavy buckets of water, soaking my clothes and dragging me back. My feet pounded on the matted grass, now soiled with puddles and mud. It was becoming more and more difficult to run, my clothes slapping against me.

"Hurry, Jenny," Harry reached for my hand, pulling me along. Well _that_ definitely got me running.

We finally reached shelter under some train tracks. It wasn't my first choice, but it was dry and safe from the storm. I slowed my pace once I was under the cement ceiling and stopped to catch my breath.

"Harry…" the lights flickered above us, and I wondered if the power was going to go out. Then, I reasoned that something was making all of this happen. I felt the air become cold and heavy, as if death itself were present. "Let's go," I had a feeling that we shouldn't be hanging out here, no matter how dry it was. I pulled out my broom and began to fly, that is, until a dark cloaked figure swooped in and passed by me, missing me by inches, but taking me with it.

"Harry…" the lights flickered above us, and I wondered if the power was going to go out. The air had suddenly gotten cold and heavy, as if death itself was present. I tried to run, but my feet seemed to be glued to the floor. A large cloaked figure flew from the sky, heading straight towards us.

"Get behind me!" Harry shouted, but I couldn't move. Before it could reach me, Harry leapt between us. I watched as it wrapped its long skeletal fingers around his neck, holding him against the wall. It seemed to be sucking the life out of him. "Jenny… run," he gasped. The whole world seemed to be collapsed, as if I would never feel happy again.

Didn't Harry understand? I couldn't run away. Not because I was scared or not, but because he was in trouble. I couldn't just leave him behind to die.

The problem was: what could I do? Surely any spell I cast would go straight through it. It seemed sort of transparent, in an almost ghostly sort of way. I decided there was only one thing I could do.

Run.

"Don't you think they'd be lovely, Vernon? Oh, here, she's waking up!" the words seemed to vary in pitch and volume. Within moments the pain in my head came back, and I tried to open my eyes. My vision was blurry and I struggled to sit up. I was successful, with the help of a thin woman kneeling next the couch.

"Get some water, Potter!" A large man ordered harshly.

"Where-" I began, holding my head and leaning forward while the room steadied itself.

"You hit your head and my _darling_ son Dudley, here, carried you back home so we could tend to your wounds," the woman smiled. I looked around, taking in the environment. I was sitting on a couch in the Dursley's home. Mrs. Dursley was kneeling next to me, holding a wet cloth and antiseptic. Dudley sat on an armchair, holding a steak against his eye. Mr. Dursley stood near the doorway, huffing from yelling at Harry.

Mrs. Dursley turned to look at her son, who dropped the steak and stuttered, "yeah, _Potter_ pushed you and you fell"

"We _do_ apologize for our _nephew's_ behavior"

At that moment, Harry walked in with a glass of water and a bar of chocolate. I looked at him, not caring to hide my confusion. He set down my drink and, with plenty of glares from his uncle, apologized for pushing me.

"Sorry for pushing you. I'm a rather unstable and deranged boy. It's a good thing my cousin was there to put a stop to my madness, though it didn't go without sacrifice," his lip twitched and I nearly broke into laughter. Just picturing Harry take out a big guy like Dudley was enough to make me go insane. Though, I recalled, _I_ was the one to give Dudley a black eye. _That_ was even better!

"Are you alright, dear?" Mrs. Dursley inquired, holding out the glass of water for me.

"Oh, yes, I'm just a bit… dizzy" I covered my face by taking a large swallow of water.

"Have some chocolate, it will help" I didn't understand how it would help, but I obliged. At that moment, an owl flew out from behind me and hit the ceiling, dropping a letter in the process. The letter flew into the air, turning around until it faced Harry.

"Dear Mr. Potter, the Ministry has received intelligence that at 6:23 this evening you performed the patronus charm. As a clear violation of the decree of the reasonable restriction of underage wizardry, you are hereby expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Hoping you are well, Mafalda Hopkirk" it spoke diplomatically.

I dropped my chocolate.


	4. Grimuald Place

Apparently, someone was going to be coming to destroy Harry's wand soon. Harry had left to go to his room and I was left in the living room with the Dursley's, who were desperately trying to convince me there was a logical explanation for all of this.

"If it's alright with you, I'd like to go wash my face. I think I'm a bit delusional from my fall"

"Right you are! Just upstairs, it is," Mr. Dursley seemed pleased that I had dismissed everything as a trick of the mind.

"Thank you," I stood and hurried upstairs. I heard a thump coming from behind one door, and opened it to see Harry had punched the wall in fury. I slipped in and shut the door behind me. "They can't expel you, Harry, it's not fair!" I was frustrated, to say the least, but Harry looked as if he had just lost everything.

The window burst open and Ebony flew in with a letter. "Ebony!" I smiled and hurried to read the letter. _The Order of the Phoenix can be found at number 12 Grimuald Place, London_. It was from Dumbledore. He had given me a task, I was sure of it. I looked up at Ebony, only to see a familiar little green car behind her, parked on the street. My heart raced. "Harry, pack your trunk!"

"What?"

"Wait for me here," I said, running from the room and down the stairs. "Thank you for your hospitality, Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, but I must be going now."

"Is your Mum here? I'd love to meet her!" Mrs. Dursley called after me.

"It was a pleasure meeting you!" I smiled, shutting the door behind me. I hurried to the car, adrenaline rushing through my veins. I was disappointed to see Karen was not inside, but whom was I kidding?

The car door popped open and I jumped inside. I had seen Karen fly it before- how had she done it? I gripped the wheel, turning it up. Surprisingly, it was cooperating and pulled over to Harry's window. I popped the trunk and Harry threw his trunk in before placing Hedwig into the backseat. I moved back and opened the passenger door for Harry, but Ebony flew in first. Harry climbed onto the windowsill and jumped into the car.

"Sorry," I apologized for not having pulled up closer.

"I didn't know you had a car," he shut the door behind him and looked around.

"Me either"

"Can you drive?"

"More or less"

He buckled his seatbelt.

"Where are we going?" he asked, and I could detect a bit of nervousness in his voice.

"Don't tell me the great Harry Potter is scared?" I grinned, steering up and left until I faced the right direction. "Harry, what really happened? I doubt the version your family told is the one I'm looking for" I shuddered, imagining Dudley carrying me back to his place.

"They _did_ try to set you up with Dudley, _that's_ for sure," he smirked, almost laughing at me. I smacked him playfully for teasing me. "Well, after you slugged Dudley-" I smiled triumphantly, "we ran for shelter. Then, the dementors came-"

"Dementors?" my eyes widened. _That's_ what it was?

"Yeah, that's why I gave you the chocolate. Anyway, when the dementor had me and I told you to run, you ran _towards_ the dementor. I thought you were trying to tackle it"

"I didn't know what else to do!" it infuriated me that I was so inferior. This only made me want to study more. "Harry, how did you stop it?" I couldn't bear the image of my happy memories being sucked away. I didn't have that many to spare! I'd just have to make some more, this year.

"There were two dementors, when the second came you were knocked out cold. I had to use my patronus-"

"Your patronus?"

"Yeah, it's a stag. By the way, do you know where you're going?"

"Of course!" I checked the position of the sun to make sure I hadn't gotten too distracted. "It's not safe to talk about where right now, Harry" I reasoned, focusing on my driving.

"Let's talk about why, then"

"You _want_ to stay at the Dursley's?" I looked at him like he was mad.

"No, I want to know why you're here. Don't you live in America?"

"Harry…" how was I supposed to tell him? I had come all the way out here, and _now_ I lose my guts? "Karen… she's gone"

"What do you mean, gone?"

"She's dead."

"I'm sorry"

We were silent for quite some time.

"I missed you, Harry"

"I missed you, too" he seemed happy that I had spoken first.

"Why didn't you write, then?"

"Why didn't _I_ right? Why didn't _you_ write? I didn't get any news from any of you all summer!"

"I didn't get anything from you either! Or Hermione."

"Ron wrote?" he seemed surprised.

"No, I've been living at the Burrow. Actually, they've sort of adopted me"

"When did this happen?" he seemed irritated that he was so out of the loop. I was, too.

"A few days ago"

"Why did you decide to come see me?" he still didn't seem to understand. I sighed, irritated. My face lit up when I saw the brick buildings below us with the sign saying "Grimuald Place".

"We're here!" I pulled down and parked behind a small blue car and popped the invisibility booster. I didn't want anyone trying to park where my car was. I unbuckled my seatbelt and shut the car doors behind us. I passed through the fence, and walked up to the building between eleven and thirteen. "It should be here," I furrowed a brow, digging for the letter in my pocket. I frowned, completely puzzled. The address led me to this spot, but…

The parchment now read a single line.

_Tap your wand three times._

I pulled out my wand. _That's it?_ I reached forward and tapped the brick three times before stepping back. Number 12 Grimuald place seemed to slide out from the building magically. When it was finally set, I approached the old building and turned the knob cautiously. I hadn't an idea what awaited me on the other side of the door, only that I must move forward.


	5. Michelle

"Jenny!" Mrs. Weasley rushed to hug me, "you had me so worried!"

"I'm fine, I promise," I hugged her back, but stood aside so she could see Harry.

"Harry, dear!" she switched gears immediately. I smiled as she tried to tame his hair lovingly before sending him upstairs and going into a room down the hall. I glanced up the stairs to see Harry was already inside a room. I looked down the hall to where Mrs. Weasley had disappeared, wondering if I should follow.

"Jenny," Sirius smiled breezily and outstretched his arms.

"Sirius!" I hugged him, thankful for his security.

"I'm guessing you have some questions for me?" he asked. I nodded feverishly in reply. He smiled and we walked down the hall.

"Sirius, did you, by any chance, know my parents?"

"Ah," he stopped and fished around in his robes for a few moments, before pulling out a piece of parchment.

"What's this?" I unfolded it to see a picture of maybe thirty people.

"This is the original Order of the Phoenix. That's Karen, right there," he pointed at a thin woman with large brown curls, "and right there is your mum"

"She's beautiful," I ran my fingers over the page, "I wish I was more like her"

"You are like your mother. So much," he smiled at me, as if he was reminiscing a memory with her.

"How?" I looked down at her, the face of an angel gazing back at me.

"Michelle had more heart than anyone I knew"

"Knew?"

He smiled, "you have your mother's heart"

I felt like crying. Sirius had given me the most important information I had about my mom. Being told I was so much like her was like being compared to the person you idolize the most, only, better. Much better.

"Is that-" I pointed to a younger version of Sirius.

"That's me. The man next to me is James, Harry's father"

"Then his mother-"

"Lily Potter"

"He looks so much like James," I smiled. _Harry's father…_

"Come on, let's go back for dinner. I bet you're dying to see your family, aren't you?"

_Family. _I cracked a smile when I saw the table full of familiar redheads welcome me.

"Jenny!" Ginny leapt to her feet and hugged me, "you had me so worried!"

"Are you alright? Harry told me you hit your head during the attack," Hermione examined my head in a motherly fashion. I didn't want anyone making a fuss over me, though it felt nice to know they cared so much. Though I didn't expect any of the boys to fuss over me, I was glad to see them smiling up at me.

I smiled sheepishly, "I'm fine, really"

Before long, the topic switched to Harry and then to Voldemort, by default.

"We think Voldemort wants to build up his army again. He's been recruiting a huge amount of wizards. We believe Voldemort may be after something-"

"Sirius," Professor Moody warned. I looked up at him, then back to Sirius, eager to hear what he was going to say.

"Something he didn't have before," he said carefully, shifting his gaze to me.

"Stop it! Stop it! They're just children-"

"_They?_ Is there something I should know?" I looked at Mrs. Weasley and Sirius defensively. _I thought we were talking about Harry!_ Were they keeping something from me?

"That's enough for tonight. You need to rest up for tomorrow. Off to bed- both of you!"

"Both of us?" I asked myself once we were out of the dining room and starting down the hall.

"That's right-" the twins popped up on either side of me.

"Dumbledore wants you-"

"-to be a witness"

"Are you two ready yet?" Mr. Weasley called from downstairs. He had told us we were supposed to dress up for the hearing, you know, to make a good impression. I was wearing a simple dress, flowing silkily down to my knees. I bit my lip nervously. Was it enough? Was it too much? _I think I need some water._

I hurried towards the door, yanking it open. I was surprised to see Harry standing there in a pressed suit staring back at me.

"Good morning," I blinked back to reality, forgetting what I had been worried about completely.

"Uh… I…"

"We need to get there early, I still have to work" Mr. Weasley called from downstairs.

"Oh! The hearing!" I gasped, yanking Harry down the hall. We hurried to Mr. Weasley's car and drove to the Ministry. I curled my fingers around the hem of my dress, twirling them nervously as I watched buildings pass. I followed Mr. Weasley to his office in silence, too anxious to speak. When we got there we sat down on a couple of thinly cushioned chairs.

"I've got to run these to a few people. I'll be back well before the hearing, don't worry," he smiled reassuringly at me. _Am I that transparent?_ I looked over at Harry for confirmation, only to see he hadn't tidied his hair. I ran my fingers through it, trying to make it look combed. When I was done, I sat back and frowned.

"Don't tell me it's not neat enough," he protested, masochistically amused by my anxiety.

"No, it's good. I just like it messy-" I stopped myself there, turning to face the door. A man barged in, out of breath from physical strain.

"Mr. Potter… the hearing… changed…" was all I caught between his raspy breaths.

"When is it?" Harry asked.

"Five… five minutes"


	6. Happy Birthday

We followed him to the new location, making it just in time. I reached over and parted Harry's hair for good measure. He looked at me and I smiled back, encouraging him to enter. He walked in and sat in a chair centered on the main floor while I slipped into a low-level bench.

The Wizengamot trying Harry was made up of about fifty wizards and witches, led by Cornelius Fudge, who was seated next a toad-like woman whose pink collar peeked out from under her uniform black robe. I noticed Ron's older brother, Percy, was present to transcribe the proceedings. They hadn't spoken about him much. Actually, he didn't come to any family gatherings, either. I wondered if his position in the ministry was hurting his relationship with Harry.

Dumbledore breezed into the room, declaring himself a witness for the defense. The hearing begins. Members of the Wizengamot seem impressed that Harry was able to conjure a full Patronus but do not appear to believe Harry's story about dementors appearing in Little Whinging. I bit my lip, noticing my fingers were curled alarmingly tight around the edge of the bench.

"I'm sure you have a very well rehearsed story prepared, however, since you have no witnesses of the event-" the minister spat out, threatened by the truth.

"Actually, we do. Harry was not alone during the attack, as you recall. His act was in defense of another, as well." Dumbledore turned to look at me, cuing my entrance. I curled my fingers from the seat and made my way to the chair. _Is it just me, or are they all staring at me?_

"Jennifer Bennett," Fudge looked up from a piece of paper that, I assumed, had information about me on it. "Can you please describe the attack?"

"The air turned cold and heavy, as if death itself were present. Then, a dark cloaked figure flew towards us and started, well, sucking the life out of Harry… I'm sorry, that's all I remember. I blacked out after that." I sure wasn't going to tell them the insignificant and embarrassing detail of me trying to tackle a dementor. I looked up at the minister, who seemed to be shaking. Was he angry or fearful?

"Miss Bennett proves to be an unreliable witness, since she was not conscious for the crime-"

"Cornelius, Miss Bennett has just confirmed the presence of dementors…" Dumbledore moved forward and spoke softly after that, so that's all I heard until a woman with a clipboard spoke. Not to mention my head was swimming from sitting in the hot seat.

"Those in favor of conviction?" she asked. My heart raced as hands slowly rose into the air, beginning with the toad-like woman.

"Those in favor of clearing the defendant of _all_ charges?" most all of the hands flew into the air.

"Cleared of all charges," The minister banged his gavel in defeat. _We won. We won._ I repeated in my head, the statement becoming more and more true each time.

"Miss Bennett, the trial is over," Dumbledore patted my hand. I had been gripping too tightly again.

The twins popped confetti and the celebratory feast began. Everyone hurried to their seats to eat, giddy from the result of the hearing. Hermione insisted on hearing every detail of the hearing and of the attack. I filled her in the best I could, leaving the scene at the Dursley's vague. I feared if I mentioned how they had tried to set me up with Dudley, I would vomit. I looked to Harry for help and couldn't help but notice Sirius didn't seem all that happy.

From then on I wasn't really in a party mood. I had become preoccupied with my thoughts, suspicions, and mysteries. Mostly, however, I could be found up in my room, looking at the picture of the original Order. I didn't have enough pieces to finish the puzzle. No matter how hard I stared at my facts, I didn't have enough to find my father. When I wasn't pondering about my lineage, I had my nose buried deep in a book. It bugged me to _no end_ that I couldn't save Harry from that dementor. _He_ saved _me_.

"Hey," Fred and George walked into the bedroom and sat on either side of my bed. I sat cross-legged on the mattress with my clues lying on the cover on front of me.

"Hi," I continued staring at my findings.

"We hope you liked those candies we gave you last year-" Fred pulled a wrapped gift from behind his back.

"-because we have some more for you to test out"

I looked up at them with a puzzled expression, "why are you giving me these?"

"We figured we were the most important-"

"-so we volunteered to come and get you"

"What-" I was cut off when they dragged me from my bed, "hey! Cut it out! What do you think you're doing?"

"Getting you away-"

"-from your silly papers"

_These two were just not giving up!_ "Help! I'm being witch-napped!"

"Oh pipe down-"

"-we'll let you go"

They dropped me in a chair and stood back.

"What the-"

"Surprise!" a chorus of voices rang through the room. Everyone was gathered in the one room, apparently because of me.

"…I'm confused," I admitted bluntly.

"It's your _birthday_!" Ron exclaimed, as if I had gone mad.

"Don't tell me you've forgotten!" it sounded as if Hermione was on the verge of scolding me.

"No, no, of course not. I just didn't think you would…"

"You thought we'd forget? Not for a moment!" Mrs. Weasley came over to me, balancing a large homemade birthday cake in her hands. They broke into a round of Happy Birthday with nearly every voice in a different key. I tried not to smile too foolishly at them as I blew out all sixteen candles in one breath.

"Well? What did you wish for?" Ron leaned towards me as if he could tell by closer distance. Perhaps he just wanted to get closer to the cake.

"Hey!" I shoved him playfully, "you know I can't tell you that!"

Mrs. Weasley insisted I cut the cake, and I obliged with little resistance. However, I did _not_ want to serve. But, of course, they heard none of it. I cut the cake into pieces as close to the same size as possible, just to make sure none of the siblings fought over who had more or whom I liked more. Everyone took the cake and gobbled it up.

"Harry, don't you want some?" I asked, noticing he was hanging back.

"Yeah Harry, don't you want some?" the twins broke into laughter.

I rolled my eyes and plopped a piece of cake onto a plate for Harry, "honestly, those two"

Hey everyone! It actually is my birthday this coming week, so this timed out well :] birthday reviews are appreciated! I'm turning 16!


	7. Mercy

The next week or so wasn't so bad. I had spent more time with the others and less on my own. Mr. Weasley seemed particularly pleased, however, Mrs. Weasley was less enthusiastic. You see, I had been spending so much time with the twins…

"Fred! George! _Jenny_!"

They had rubbed off on me.

The twins and I bolted down the hall, howling in laughter. Ron chased us, magically transforming into a pig. We had charmed a plate of cookies, knowing he would eat them. I baked the cookies and left them out, while the twins had taken care of the magic. I was, after all, underage. Suddenly, the twins apparated, abandoning me in the hallway.

"Traitors!" I shook my fist dramatically, turning to look over my shoulder. Ron was getting closer. At the end of the hall, Harry opened the bathroom door.

I had found my victim.

"Move!" I squealed, not slowing down, as I got closer. Harry's eyes widened and he hurried to the side. I swept in, swinging the door shut behind me. Moments later there was a thud and a squeal. I winced; he was going to be mad.

"What the bloody hell was _that_?" Harry was still wide eyed.

"_That_, Harry, is your best mate"

"_What_?"

"It was my idea, bloody brilliant if I do say so myself," I grinned ear to ear. Something seemed to click in Harry's brain and he nodded.

"When does he turn back? He _will_ turn back, won't he?"

"Of course! All he has to do is drink the milk on the counter next to the cookies-"

"Jenny, I don't think he can _reach_ the counter"

"…oh"

I sat on the edge of the bathroom counter, pondering my plot.

"Well, I'm sure someone will help him. Hermione would figure it out right away," I chuckled. Who else would manifest a pig other than Ron?

"Jenny, what happens when he is turned back?"

"He'll come after us," I shrugged.

"_Us_?"

I grinned mischievously, "yes, _us_, you're my accomplice now, Harry" He was mortified. "Don't worry, he wouldn't hurt me. After all, I'm his little sister"

"What about me?"

"Don't worry, Harry. If we stay in here long enough he'll come across the twins first and take his revenge on them"

Then a thought occurred to me. _What would Ron do if he found Harry and I together in the bathroom? _Harry seemed to think the same thing. Suddenly, it became very cramped in the bathroom.

"I'm going to see if he's there…" I jumped off of the counter and peeked through the door. The coast was clear, so I slipped around the doorway and against the wall. I reached around the corner and motioned for Harry to follow me. He didn't seem to understand I was in ninja spy mode, so I grabbed his shirt in my hand and dragged him down the hall. I peeked around every corner and doorway before we crossed uncharted territory.

"Jenny, what are we doing?" Harry asked.

"_Shh!_" I hushed him, turning to look around the corner. Inside were the twins, but no Ron. "The coast is clear, Harry" I relaxed, walking into the room.

"Hey," I said, confused at why they were silently staring at us. Once again, they apparated. "He's behind us, isn't he Harry?" We turned to look over our shoulders to see Ron in his usual form, huffing. He reached out to grab me and I squeaked, hiding behind Harry.

"Hey! That's not fair! Ron, don't look at me like that!" Harry tried to back up, but just ended up stumbling into me. Therefore I had to back up, and we were running out of room.

"New plan," I whispered in Harry's ear.

"What?" he asked.

"RUN!" with that said, I bolted out of the room and left Harry at Ron's mercy.

Hermione, Ron, Harry, and I stood together with happy expressions. I felt myself smiling, too. _Why are we smiling?_ I asked myself suddenly, pondering the thought. I looked around, just noticing that we were surrounded by darkness below us. "Why are we smiling?" I asked, but they only continued smiling at me. It was almost as if they couldn't hear me. I reached for my neck. Perhaps I wasn't making noise. "Where are we?" I asked, but I found I was only mouthing the words. I felt the pressure building in my stomach from the exertion of speaking, but I couldn't hear my voice. I felt an odd sense of déjà vu as I noticed I wasn't making a sound.

It was then I realized that there was no noise at all. No birds chirping, no wind caressing my face, no waves lapping at the sand. _Sand?_ The darkness wasn't emptiness- it was water. Suddenly, I panicked as I realized I had been here before. Although I was panicking, my heart remained beating steadily.

A drop of water fell on my cheek. My eyelids fluttered open in response of the new feeling. It slid down my cheek and nestled itself in the corner of my mouth. I welcomed it inside, tasting the sweet salty tear.

Knowing what came next, I struggled to move forward. I found myself unable to move, and realized I was sinking. I tried to move my arms and legs in the sand, but my limbs felt heavy with the need to give up. I opened my mouth to scream, but remembered I couldn't speak. Powerless, I closed my eyes.


	8. Prefect

I must have opened my eyes, because I was suddenly at the bottom of a flight of stairs. A phone rang at the top of the stairs, and I began to climb towards it. It always seemed out of reach, the stairs seeming to be never-ending. I stopped to catch my breath and noticed a frog croaking next to me on the step. An idea sparked, and I climbed onto its back, focused on reaching the top of the stairs. It leapt into the air and left me on top of the table next to the phone. I slid off of the frog and ran towards the phone, heaving it up and resting it on the table beside me.

I walked up to the hearing end of the phone and listened, but I couldn't hear the voice on the other end. Frustrated, I stood up. I hadn't noticed, but there was a cage around the surface of the table. I ran to the edge and grabbed onto two bars, leaning towards them. On the other side stood my mother in vivid detail.

_Jenny_ she spoke. The sound of my name rolling from her rose petal lips made me want to escape the cage. Couldn't she tell I was trapped?

"Jenny!" Hermione shrieked. I opened my eyes to find her leaning over me. Then I realized I was gripping tightly onto her jacket.

"Sorry," I sat up to find she was completely dressed to leave.

"Hurry, we're going to be late" she insisted. I looked over at the clock. _I have plenty of time_. "Hurry _up_," she urged. I groaned and rolled over, only to fall face-first onto the floor. _Stupid twin bed_. I heaved myself off of the floor and went to take a shower. I hummed a tune absentmindedly, thinking about my dream. I had woken up on edge, scaring Hermione. It had started so similar to my other dream, except that it had changed direction when I struggled. Instead of a storm, I had sunken in the sand and become consumed in the earth. I wondered if these dreams meant anything, and why it had been similar, but changed.

We had to play it safe on the way to the train station, so we broke up into groups. The Weasleys travelled together as a family, Professor Moody hobbled by himself, Harry and I walked with Padfoot, and Hermione walked with Tonks, who had transformed into a woman who looked similar enough to Hermione to be her mother. Sirius had insisted on coming along and somehow had been able to without being forced back by someone in the Order. Dumbledore gave strict orders for him to stay at home, but he was stubborn.

We had successfully made it to the train without being confronted by anyone, to our relief. Professor Moody made it very clear that we were not to send any letters mentioning the Order. It was a secret society, and we could cause a lot of trouble if it were discovered.

"Where are you going?" I asked Hermione and Ron, who were heading the opposite direction in the train.

"We've got to sit in the prefects' cabin," she said, avoiding Harry's gaze.

"Alright, we'll go find a compartment this way, then," I turned and led Harry down the narrow hall, where we ran into Neville. "Hey Neville, found a compartment yet?"

"No, not yet"

"Hey, this one is nearly empty," I said, pulling open a door to find a girl with a newspaper opened on front of her face. "Excuse me, can we sit here?"

The girl lowered her newspaper, revealing herself as Luna, a Ravenclaw who had been in my class last year. She had even sent me a gift: a necklace. "Yes, of course" she smiled up at me. I sat next to Luna while Ginny, Neville, and Harry sat on the other side.

"Everyone, this is Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Neville, Ginny, and Harry"

"It's a pleasure to meet you," she smiled. Everyone responded by shifting their gaze around the compartment with awkward smiles.

"What's that you're reading?" I asked, trying to spark a conversation.

"The Quibbler. It's a wizard tabloid my dad edits. Would you like to read it?"

"That's alright… you have a cork necklace," my eyes sparkled with curiosity, noticing she was wearing a necklace identical to the one she gave me.

"Yes, I always do. Especially here, there are Nargles on the train" she whispered, as if they could hear her. "You aren't wearing yours?" she looked at my necklace, seeing a different one than the one she expected.

"Oh, I've got it here…" I reached into my mokeskin pouch, which I wore daily, and pulled out her necklace. Smiling at her, I put it over my head and let it hang over the strap of my pouch.

"They could get in your trunk if you don't have the proper protection," she warned before turning to the others, "be careful"

A carriage pulled up to us, led by emaciated reptilian horses. My shoulders relaxed as I saw the familiar creatures. Harry walked past me, looking them over for the first time. "You see them?" my eyes widened.

"What are they?" he breathed, walking past them slowly. A small smile made its way across my face as I reached towards the nose of the creature. It snorted at the threat, and I shuffled to the side so it could see my body. Its black eyes measured me, weighing the risk of trusting me and calculating my character. Apparently, it decided I was worthy and allowed me to touch it. Its skin was so thin over its bones.

"They're theastrals," I replied with a dreamy smile. After the chaos in my mind from last year, when no one could see them but me, I was thankful he knew about them now.

"Why can I see them?" he asked without moving his eyes from their wings.

I stroked the theastral, though it was like running my hand over bones blanketed with rice paper. "They can only be seen by those who've seen death," I looked at Harry.

"So…" Harry pieced it together in his mind and went silent.

"That's what Luna told me, anyway," I inhaled a new breath, fueling a new happiness as I looked into his emerald orbs. He attempted to smile, and was quite convincing, but I doubted he could truly be happy after reminiscing that. The theastral butted me lovingly with its head, urging me to board the carriage. I looked at it and stroked its head before turning to flash a smile at Harry.

"You'll never believe it, Harry!" we turned to see Ron and Hermione running towards us.

"Never believe what?" Harry asked.

"Malfoy's a prefect"


	9. Umbridge

_In times of old when I was new_

_And Hogwarts barely started_

_The Founders of our noble school_

_Thought never to be parted:_

_United by a common goal,_

_They had the selfsame yearning_

_To make the world's best magic school_

_And pass along their learning._

_"Together we will build and teach!"_

_The Four good friends decided_

_And never did they dream that they_

_Might someday be divided,_

_For were there such friends anywhere_

_As Slytherin and Gryffindor?_

_Unless it was the second pair_

_Of Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw?_

_So how could it have gone so wrong?_

_How could such friendships fail?_

_Why, I was there and so can tell_

_The whole sad, sorry tale._

_Said Slytherin, "We'll teach just those_

_Whose ancestry is purest."_

_Said Ravenclaw, "We'll teach those whose_

_Intelligence is surest."_

_Said Gryffindor, "We'll teach all those_

_With brave deeds to their name,"_

_Said Hufflepuff, "I'll teach the lot,_

_And treat them just the same."_

_These differences caused little strife_

_When first they came to light,_

_For each of the four founders had_

_A House in which they might_

_Take only those they wanted, so,_

_For instance, Slytherin_

_Took only pure-blood wizards_

_Of great cunning, just like him,_

_And only those of sharpest mind_

_Were taught by Ravenclaw_

_While the bravest and the boldest_

_Went to daring Gryffindor,_

_Good Hufflepuff, she took the rest,_

_And taught them all she knew,_

_Thus the Houses and their founders_

_Retained friendships firm and true._

_So Hogwarts worked in harmony_

_For several happy years,_

_But the discord crept among us_

_Feeding on our faults and fears._

_The Houses that, like pillars four,_

_Had once held up our school,_

_Now turned upon each other and,_

_Divided, sought to rule._

_And for a while it seemed the school_

_Must meet an early end,_

_What with dueling and with fighting_

_And the clash of friend on friend_

_And at last there came a morning_

_When old Slytherin departed_

_And though the fighting then died out_

_He left us quite downhearted._

_And never since the founders four_

_Were whittled down to three_

_Have the Houses been united_

_And they once were meant to be._

_And now the Sorting Hat is here_

_And you all know the score:_

_I sort you into Houses_

_Because that is what I'm for,_

_But this year I'll go further,_

_Listen closely to my song:_

_Though condemned I am to split you_

_Still I worry that it's wrong,_

_Though I must fulfill my duty_

_And must quarter every year_

_Still I wonder whether sorting_

_May not bring the end I fear._

_Oh, know the perils, read the signs,_

_The warning history shows,_

_For our Hogwarts is in danger_

_From external, deadly foes_

_And we must unite inside her_

_Or we'll crumble from within_

_I have told you, I have warned you…_

_Let the sorting now begin_

I looked at the hat at the front of the Great Hall. I seemed to have remembered last year's song to be a bit less… morbid.

_Why would it do that?_ I looked up at the Professors. Professor McGonnogal looked worried, looking at the hat in her hands. She called up the first student to be sorted, but I detected the uneasiness in her voice. Dumbledore began to speak, and he hid his emotions well. I didn't fail to notice he looked often in our direction when he spoke, but he didn't mention the hat's warning.

A toad-like woman who wore a familiar pink robe interrupted him. "She was at the hearing," I whispered as the woman, who turned out to be Dolores Umbridge, cleared her throat in an unusual way. "She was against us," I added as she gave a very long and boring speech. She kept a fake smile plastered on her pale face as she insisted we were all going to be good friends, but I had a feeling that was unlikely.

"What does this mean?" I asked Hermione. She inhaled painfully, "it means the ministry is interfering at Hogwarts"

"Hermione, which O.W.L.s are you taking?" I asked, noticing she had notes out for, perhaps, ten classes.

"All of them," she said, flipping through pages. Jenny shook her head, the thought of it giving her a headache. She focused on her Charms, which would be her first.

"Hermione… do you think I'm ready? If I don't pass, I'll get held back-"

"You'll be _fine_, honestly. I'm not worried a bit about you; it's mostly Ron and Harry. Harry will at least study, but Ron has no study habits at all. He just assumes that the knowledge will come to the surface when he lifts up his quill," she shook her head in frustration and shut her book. "Come on, Defense Against the Dark Arts begins in a ten minutes"

I slid my books into my pouch and hurried after her. We were there on time, but not as early as we would like.

I recalled a time in this room when Professor- I mean Barty Crouch Jr. had tortured and killed that spider.

"O.W.L.s; more commonly known as OWLs. Study hard and you will be rewarded. Fail to do so, and the consequences may be severe. Your previous instruction in this subject has been disturbingly uneven. But you'll be pleased to know, from now on you will be following a carefully structured, Ministry-approved course of defensive magic. Yes?" Umbridge toddled her pink toad-like form way over to Hermione.

"We're not going to be using spells?" she asked, answering a question I had been thinking as well. What was Umbridge getting at? Our new "textbooks" looked like children's books!

In addition, her voice and general botox-ed appearance made me want to rip my hair out. Every time she spoke, she was nudging me towards the edge of insanity.

"Using spells? Well, I can't imagine why you would need to use spells in my classroom."

"We're not going to use magic?" I couldn't believe it. This was an _outrage_!

"You'll be learning about defensive spells in a secure, risk-free way," she looked at me with that infuriating, plastic, pressed smile. She looked at me as if… as if I was a child: a child who needed to be taught how to walk a rope while balancing an umbrella on her nose.

"What use is that? If we're attacked, it won't be risk free!" Harry argued from behind me. She tore her eyes from me. Burning like ripping duct-tape from my face.

"Students will raise their hands when they speak in my class," a dark line formed on her forehead as she turned away from Harry and strutted towards the front of the room. She seemed to be struggling with keeping her authority while Harry contradicted her. "It is the view of the Ministry that a theoretical knowledge will be sufficient to get you through your examinations, which, after all, is what school is all about-"

"And how's theory supposed to prepare us for what's out there?" Harry contradicted.

"There is _nothing_ out there, dear. Who do you imagine wants to attack children like yourself?"

"Oh, I don't know, maybe Lord Voldemort," Harry said sarcastically, his anger showing through his raging green eyes. I looked ahead of me at Umbridge as she approached us again.

"Now, let me make this quite plain. You have been told that a certain dark wizard is at large once again. This- is- a- lie." She was now right beside my desk, daring Harry to contradict her. Her warning didn't reach him, or perhaps he didn't care.

"It's not a lie! I saw him! I fought him!"

"Detention Mr. Potter!" Umbridge boiled with rage, her voice like a kettle left on a stove for too long.

"So Cedric Diggory dropped dead of his own accord?"

"Cedric Diggory's death was a tragic accident-"

"It was murder. Voldemort killed him." Harry's voice rose with hers.

"Enough! Enough. See me later Mr. Potter- my office" she ended the argument with a huff, straightening her itchy pink robes before lifting her chin and painting a proud smile upon her face to hide her frustration.

But it couldn't hide mine.

Suddenly, a paper note landed on my desk. I followed its path from where it came and saw Malfoy at the end of the trail. Stupid smirk. Stupid wink. Stupid eyebrow. I scowled and turned to look at the note. As I unfolded it, a doodle of Umbridge as a toad appeared. It wasn't very good, but it still resembled her.

"Passing notes, are we, Miss Bennett?" I looked up to see Umbridge focusing the attention of all of my classmates on me.

"Not at all, Professor," I said truthfully, however, she still approached me with menacing eyes. She snatched the picture from my hands and examined it.

Needless to say, she wasn't pleased with me.


	10. Jennifer Bennett: Chaser

Thank you cOOkieGirl1718 for this lovely poem inspired by my story!

For so long I have seen

For so long I have ignored

For so long I have been deprived

But one day

One fateful day

I decided I'd waited long enough

You see

Couriosity is a troublesome thing

It mean that one day you will

No matter how secure

You may one day fall

Into the trap curiosity makes

Whether it will give you joy or sorrow

Lose your footing once and you may just fall

Will you tumble to your demise

Or will you fall into some one's arm's

You will only know when you make your decision.

"What's wrong-"

"-you don't look too happy"

I tried to smile for the twins' benefit, but it was a pathetic attempt.

"Look here, this will cheer you up"

"our latest candy-"

"Guys, I don't think fever fudge is going to make me feel better. If anything, it will make me look worse"

"Not for you, for the first years-"

"-we're testing them out-"

"-advertising, he means. Like free samples!"

I rolled my eyes. "Unless you're going to give a "free sample" to that sadistic toad, then I'm not interested in helping you"

I hoped I hadn't just given them an idea.

They looked at each other, then back to me. "Don't worry your little head about it-"

"-well, we'll be off now!"

At dinner, Hermione complained about the twins and how they had been using first year students as guinea pigs. I avoided her gaze and focused on my meal. Her monologue, er, conversation sort of took over enough for me to avoid speaking altogether. I didn't even look at Harry. I don't know why, but I felt like I couldn't look at him right now.

"Harry!" Angelina Johnson approached us, "how could she give you detention? We have quidditch tryouts! That- that-"

"Sadistic toad?" I suggested morbidly.

"Yes," she huffed, exasperated. She calmed herself before continuing, "quidditch tryouts are open to anyone in Gryffindor. If anyone is going to try out, they should know they begin at 7:30"

I could have sworn she was speaking to me.

After dinner, Harry went to detention and I went to the common room to study. I pulled my books out and spread them about the table.

"You're spending too much time with Hermione," Ron said, collapsing on the couch next to me.

"You'd think she would have more of an impact on you," I sighed, sitting back so I could talk to him properly.

"You should go to bed"

"Jeez, who are you? My mother?" I refused to let the word get to me.

"I'm your brother," he wrapped his arm around me in some feeble attempt to comfort me.

"Shouldn't you be sleeping?" I rolled my head back in attempt to get him to go away.

"It's midnight, you should go to bed"

"Harry's not even back yet," I noted.

"He'll be back soon"

"Then I'll go to bed when he gets back," I smiled. Ron mumbled something about me being stubborn and tottered his way up the stairs. "Good night," I smiled up at him until his door shut. When he was gone, I pulled the photo of the original Order out and watched my mother's cycle of movements. Just seeing her photo smile at me was enough to make me smile. It gave me a feeling I can't quite place.

The sliding of stone made my ears perk to new footsteps.

"How was detention?" I asked, knowing it was Harry.

"Fine," he said bluntly, making a beeline for his dorm.

"Hey-" I reached for his hand, but let it slip through my fingers when I saw it had red marks. "Harry-" I ran to catch him. When I took his hand he stopped and reluctantly let me take it. "Harry…" I ran my fingers over the smooth red bumps. _I must not tell lies._

"I have to go," he pulled away and, avoiding any contact, went straight up the stairs. I went to bed in silence, my pity for Harry and hatred towards the sadistic toad growing as my sense of consciousness faded.

"Hey Ron," I greeted.

"Oh, hi," he seemed a little uneasy.

"What is it?"

"I'm worried about quidditch tryouts," he confided.

"You're going to try out? That's great!" I grinned. Ron was so infatuated with it, he would surely enjoy being on the house team.

"Well, yeah, but…" I could tell he was doubting himself, so I stopped him before he could say it out loud.

"You and me, right now," I stood with a confident grin across my face.

"What?" he looked at me with a blank gaze.

"We're going to the pitch, grab your broomstick"

By the time I was done with Ron, he was significantly better than in the Summer. Granted he could barely block a thing…

"Thanks for helping me, Jenny"

"No problem. Knowing something and doing it are totally different things. For example, you know everything there is to know about quidditch and I don't. I'm better at playing and-" I stopped myself when I realized what I was about to say.

"It's okay, Jenny. I know," Ron sulked.

"No! No, I didn't mean it that way," I sighed in frustration, "don't worry. By the time you tryout I'll have you prepared. You're going to be the star of the Gryffindor team, you'll see"

"I think you're forgetting Harry"

I pursed my lips. "You're making this difficult for me, Ron"

He laughed, "all right. If you try out, then I won't be worried"

"Wouldn't I just be more competition?"

"Nah. I'm going to be the star of the team, remember?" he grinned.

"Alright, you win"

I was dead scared for Chaser tryouts. Ron watched from the sidelines, elated that I was going before him. Keeper tryouts were later, so I had to go first. I didn't exactly know why I picked chaser. I suppose I wanted to make sure I didn't steal Ron's spot as Keeper, or Harry as seeker, or the twins' as beaters. What was left other than chaser?

I smiled hopefully at Angelina, but she only scanned the students for any promise of talent. When her eyes reached me she exhaled and held the quaffle out on front of her.

"Who knows what this is?" she asked as if she was in pain just being here.

"That's a quaffle, that is," Dean answered when no one else would.

"That's right, and what do we do with it?"

"We try to score it through those hoops," I answered, feeling like a child.

"Right you are, Jenny. We're going to start off easy. Just take the quaffle, fly up past the hoop, and shoot it in without stopping. The next person will fly behind the hoop, catch it, and shoot it. Got it?" she eyed us over, a crease forming on her brow. "Jenny, you're up," she tossed it bluntly at me. I caught the ball, thanks to my reflexes, and nodded. I swung my leg over my broom and shot into the air. I made my way towards the hoops and, keeping a good 20-foot distance, shot the quaffle through the highest hoop. Not waiting to see who, or if, anyone caught it; I pulled to the side and flew back to the soft grass where Angelina stood.

"Great job, Jenny," she nodded, her eyes never leaving the others. That did little for making her statement believable, but I nodded and stood beside her. One by one the others landed beside us. Of the people I saw, no one got it straight through the hoop. In fact, Ginny was the only one who caught the ball at all.

"Thanks for coming everyone, great job," for some reasoned, it sounded forced; like she was forcing herself to drink cough medicine. She wiped her brow before going to post the positions.

"How was it?" I asked, hurrying over to Ron.

"Bloody hell, Jenny. You were great! You and Ginny, it's like no one else knew how to even hold the thing!"

"Yeah," I frowned. Whether I made the team or not, the talent didn't look like it was very high this year. Ron and I walked up to the post, meeting Ginny and a few other people there.

"We made it!" Ginny pounced on me, her face lit up with glee. There it was; my name: Jennifer Bennett; chaser.


	11. Malfoy

"Hey," Adrienne slid into the bench beside me.

"Hey Adry. How've you been?"

"You would know if you _wrote me_," she bit sharply on her food.

"Sorry, I was a little… detached this summer," I glared at Hermione and Ron, who shifted uncomfortably and looked away.

"I heard you made the quidditch team," she smiled mischievously.

"Yep! Me and Ron," I flashed him a friendly smile.

"So… do you think you could, er, teach me how to fly" she spoke in a low tone.

"I thought you learned in first year?"

"Shhh!" she looked around to make sure no one heard. "Please, Jenny?"

"Alright," I smiled, amused. I looked up at Harry, who looked bemused. I stuck my tongue out playfully, receiving a smile in return. I looked back to Adrienne who was watching me. "What?"

"Nothing," she went back to eating. Now _I_ was the one who was confused.

After we ate I took Adrienne to the quidditch pitch.

"Say "up" while holding your hand out," I dropped the broom on the grass before her.

"Up," she held her hand over the broom. It rattled around stubbornly, refusing to rise. Her face grew determined and she repeated the word forcefully. The broom went still before shooting into her palm. She stumbled a bit from surprise, but grinned all the same. "I did it!"

"Yep, now all you have to do is fly it"

She gulped and stared at me in silence.

"Go on, mount your broom," I motioned towards the broom, a twinge of amusement tugging at my stomach. She snapped back to reality and fumbled onto it, gripping the neck tightly. "Now, give a little kick and lean forward a bit"

Adrienne pushed off of the ground and came straight back down. The broom hit before her, causing her to lose her balance and fall. I rushed to help her up, checking for injuries. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. It was only a few feet"

"Here, let me show you," I pulled out my broom and stepped over it. I leaned forward slightly and slowly glided through the air until I was hovering just ten feet above her. "See? Try it again"

She turned her head back down and tried again. Seeing me do it must have helped, because she had no problems getting up to my height.

"I'm doing it! I'm flying!" she grinned and turned to look at how high we were. Her smile faded.

"You're okay, we're only about fifteen feet up," I noticed her hands were holding the broomstick so tight that her knuckles were so white they were almost green. "Let's head back for today," I suggested with a small smile, "you did great"

"I can't"

"What do you mean? You want to fly more?"

She shook her head, "I can't! I can't go down"

"It's okay, just point your broomstick towards the ground. Very slightly until you get the feel"

She shook her head, terror in her eyes. She was afraid of heights.

"Okay, do you want to climb onto my broom?"

She nodded. I flew next to her and scooted forward. "Reach over with your arm, then your leg"

"Okay," she replied. I waited patiently, but she didn't move.

"Anytime"

"Sorry!" she didn't seem to be aware that she wasn't moving.

"It's alright. Just reach over with your right hand…" her fingers didn't move.

"I'm sorry! I can't move"

I exhaled, blowing stray hairs from my face. "Don't worry, we'll go down together. Just stay on your broom and I'll guide you down." I reached over and gripped her broom with my left hand, pushing the nose down in sync with mine. She refused to release her hands until she was kneeling on the grass with her broom.

"You're on the ground," I bent down to level with her. "Adrienne?"

"Thank you!" she strangled me in her embrace.

"You liked it?"

"It was terrifying! I'm _never_ doing it again!" she grinned.

I grinned back, overjoyed that I could help. "We'd better get off the pitch, Keeper tryouts are about to begin"

We scrambled to our feet and went to sit on the sidelines. Adry handed hers to Ron on the way, wished him luck, then scurried over to me. I smiled at her, turning back when Angelina cleared her throat and began tryouts.

"Jenny, can you help me toss the quaffle at the hoops?" she called.

"Uh, sure!" I stood up, smiled at Adry, and pulled my broom out before flying up into the air. Not to be critical, but Ron was THE BEST one there. That wasn't a compliment. Hardly anyone could even control their broom enough to block my throws. I was elated, however, when Ron made the team.

"Thank you, Jenny!" he hugged me with a bright smile across his freckled face.

"Anytime, Ron" I smiled.

"Bennett," Malfoy spat.

"What do _you_ want Malfoy?" I narrowed my eyes.

"I heard you made the Gryffindor team," he smirked, "just to distract the other team"

"What are you implying, Malfoy?" I sneered.

"Oh, feisty one, aren't you?" he snickered. I hissed at him in response, a stupid act that only egged him on.

"Jenny," Hermione called my name. I straightened my back and calmed myself before turning away and walking to Hermione. "What was that all about?" Hermione asked, glancing over my shoulder at Malfoy.

"Nothing"

"Harry, look at this!" I gasped, horrified at the printed letters on the paper before me. I held the Daily Prophet out so Hermione and Ron could see too, "it's Sturgis Podmore. He's going to Azkaban for six months for trying to break into the ministry!"

"How could they do this?" Harry's brow creased from frustration.

"I don't know…" _Why would he try to break in? It doesn't make sense. _

"Maybe he was lured there and they sacked him for being involved in the Order," Ron suggested.

"Shh! Ron!" Hermione hushed him, warning him about tossing words about carelessly.

After we ate, Ron, Harry, and I headed for quidditch practice. Lucky us, Malfoy was waiting to pester us.

"Well if it isn't Scarhead, Weaselbee, and Bennett"

"Aw, no nickname for me?" I fake pouted. Shockingly, Malfoy didn't respond. He just walked past me and kept going until he turned. Of course, he didn't forget to shove Harry out of his way. My eyes followed him skeptically, noticing he was approaching a blonde Slytherin girl. One I recognized.


	12. Dumbledore's Army

Harry, Hermione, Ron, and I sat in the common room, studying for our OWLs, when Harry spotted something in the fire.

"Sirius!" Harry cast his books aside and hurried to the fire. I hurried behind and kneeled beside the warm flames.

"Harry," Sirius greeted, "don't worry about your scar. It burns when Voldemort feels strong emotions, which is probably what has been happening. I don't believe it is because of Umbridge. Although she is quite unpleasant, I do not believe she is a death eater"

I wasn't so sure.

"If it would make you feel safer, I could transform into a dog and accompany you to your next trip to Hogsmeade-"

"No way," Harry protested.

"It's too dangerous, Sirius" I frowned.

He sighed, "James would have enjoyed the risk"

I watched as Sirius disappeared into the fire.

"That sadistic toad!" I huffed, "she's taking over the entire school!"

Umbridge had been named High Inquisitor, which basically means she can strut round Hogwarts like she owns the place. She had visited all of the classes and criticized each teacher. Poor Trewlany's prediction had been shot down. Professor McGonogall seemed furious to be in her presence at all. Worst of all, she had turned Defense Against The Dark Arts into some sort of preschool class. I hadn't learned a thing!

"There's nothing we can do about it," Harry stated.

"Maybe not, but we _can_ do something about Defense Against The Dark Arts. Harry, we could have our own study group. You could teach us!"

"Jenny," he seemed unsure.

"That's a great idea! Harry, it's the only way to pass our OWLs!" Hermione beamed at the chance to learn.

"This is mad, who'd want to be taught by me?"

"Look on the bright side: you cant be any worse than that old toad face," Ron assured him.

"Thanks, Ron"

"Harry, you've fought You-Know-Who, slain basilisks and dragons, fought off death eaters and dementors. If anyone should be teaching us how to defend ourselves- it's you"

I was eager to get to this meeting. I had invited tons of people, including the entire quidditch team.

I was nervous to get to this meeting. What if no one showed?

Harry, Ron, Hermione, and I were positioned at the front of a room full of students. There had to be at least twenty crowded in Hog's Head. Ron sat at the table we had up front while Harry, Hermione, and I stood nervously.

"Uh… hi" Hermione cleared her throat, looking around the room.

"So, you all know why we're here," I continued, "we need a teacher"

"A _proper_ teacher. One who's had real experience defending against the dark arts," Hermione added.

"Why?" someone asked.

"Because You-Know-Who's back, you tosspot!" Ron defended.

"So he says," the boy argued, referring to Harry.

"So Dumbledore says," Hermione corrected.

"So Dumbledore says because he says! The point is, where's the proof?"

"Potter could tell us more about how Diggory got killed-" another boy joined.

"I'm not going to talk about Cedric, so if that's why you're here, clear out now," Harry snapped, turning towards the exit, which just so happened to be past me. "Come on Jenny, they're here because they think I'm some freak-" he tried to convince me to let him by.

"Is it true you can produce a Patronus charm?" Luna asked suddenly, grabbing Harry's and my attention.

"Yes," I answered when Harry didn't, "a stag"

"Blimey, Harry! I didn't know you could do that!" Dean exclaimed.

"And he killed a basilisk, with the sword in Dumbledore's office," Neville added.

"Third year, he fought off about a hundred dementors at once," Ron contributed.

"Last year, he really did fight off You-Know-Who in the flesh," Hermione began.

"Wait- look, it all sounds great when you say it like that, but the truth is most of that was just luck. I didn't know what I was doing half the time. I nearly always had help-"

"He's just being modest," Hermione insisted.

"No, Hermione, I'm not. Facing this stuff in real life is not like school. In school, if you make a mistake you can just try again tomorrow, but out there when you're a second away from being murdered or watching a friend die before your eyes… you don't know what that's like"

"You're right Harry, that's why we need your help. If we're going to have any chance at beating Voldemort-" I paused when I saw the reaction on everyone's face from hearing his name.

"He's really back," a young boy gaped. I nodded.

"So… anyone who wishes to sign up, just come up and sign your name," I cleared my throat. I moved away from Harry's side and stood beside the table where Ron and Hermione sat, a piece of parchment and a quill lying before them. I found myself missing Harry's company, and to my relief he shifted to stand beside me. I smiled at him as a line formed on front of the table. It seemed everyone was going to join. I squeezed Harry's hand excitedly; elated to see it was a success.

"Harry, I have to go"

"Why?" his smile faded.

"I, er, promised I'd tutor Adry," I nodded at Adrienne, who waved and hurried over.

"Hey Jenny, hey Harry," she stood away from the line and joined us.

"Adry, we'd better get going. By Harry!" I hurried out with Adrienne, pulling her beside me.

"What was all that about?" she asked once we were clear of Hog's head.

"Sorry, I just panicked"

"Panicked? About what?" then something clicked in her head, "oh, I see"

"What?" I looked at her, puzzled. I didn't think I had explained anything to her, so how could she know more than me?

"You know," she waggled her eyebrows.

"No… I really don't"

She laughed, "oh come on Jenny. Don't make me say it!"

"Say what? What?" my voice rose from excitement or frustration, I couldn't tell.

"You like Harry," she smiled.

"I d-" I began, but stopped when she finished.

"He likes you, too"


	13. I Must Not Keep Secrets

"All student organizations are henceforth disbanded. Any student in noncompliance will be expelled," Umbridge's squeaky voice rang through the halls via speakers. Everywhere I went I could hear her. Great. "This includes quidditch teams, unless they receive my approval"

"Well this is perfect!" I threw my arms in the air with rage. "She won't let us practice, surely. She'll let Slytherin go, but not Gryffindor! How are we to win if we can't practice?" I fumed, turning to Adrienne. "Can you believe this?"

I felt a twinge for letting my anger out on Adry, but this woman drove me nuts! I had trouble keeping my mouth shut in her class and it got me into loads of trouble with her.

"Miss Bennett," she huffed, at the brink of insanity, "detention"

She looked as if her hair was about to curl out of place, strings fraying from her pink robe, buttons popping loose, steam bursting from her head. Instead, she just took a deep breath and plastered a sick smile across her pale face. I slouched in my chair. _I have half a mind to just leave!_ Something about her just ticked me off to no end. She was even worse than Malfoy!

Malfoy is to Harry and Umbridge is to me.

I crossed my arms and entered her office. I looked around at the disgusting pink wallpaper and painted plates neatly lining the walls. The cats were cute, but there had to be at least fifty plates with them.

"Your room…" I turned to take in the rest. Everything was neatly lined, as if she had OCD. It reeked of perfume and reminded me of some little old lady's home. It sort of was. Umbridge was getting there, at least.

"Yes?" she held her smile tight, sipping her overly sugary tea.

"It's…" I searched for a word to describe it, "fitting"

"Please, sit down," she stood, walking towards me. "I'm going to ask you one more time. What do you know?"

"I'm not sure I understand the question, Professor," I replied before sitting down. I could sense her frustration, but she kept it masked.

"You're going to be doing some lines for me today. You will write _I must not keep secrets_"

"How many times?" I said, taking the quill into my hand.

"As long as it takes to… sink in," she stopped walking as I wrote on the parchment. I thought for a moment of writing something else out of spite, but it was probably better just to conform to her mediocre punishment.

I felt a burning sensation in my left hand, making me fidget as I wrote. It became so intense that I had to stop writing after one phrase. I looked at my hand to see it was inflamed, with a pink tint over the bumps spelling out _I must not keep secrets_.

_This is how Harry got that scar on his hand. _I looked up at Umbridge, finally understanding.

"Is there something you'd like to say?" she asked, leaning towards me. I clenched my jaw before replying.

"No, Professor"

I filled the entire page with _I must not keep secrets_. Each time I repeated it, the phrase burned into my hand as if I was cutting over the already open wound. I carved into my skin again and again until I ran out of room on the page. I stood up and left her office without any complaints from her. I made it about ten feet before I broke down crying on a bench. Within moments Fred and George came running down the hall to comfort me. I drew my knees up and cradled my hand subconsciously.

"Your hand will be fine, Jenny," Fred wrapped his arm around me.

"Yeah, it's not as bad as it seems," George cooed.

"You can hardly see ours anymore-"

"-and the pain stops after a while"

I shook my head and choked back tears, "I wrote it at least twenty times"

I hated being a baby, but it _really_ hurt. It was like a hot iron being pressed into an open wound. Worse than salt.

"As I told you once before, Mr. Potter, naughty children deserve to be punished," Umbridge's voice made me raise my head. She was standing at the end of the hall and had, apparently, just emerged from her office. She smiled and turned to return to her office. _Mr. Potter?_

I wiped my face with my sleeve before standing up. Fred and George spotted me, just in case I fell.

"I'm fine," I insisted, tugging my sleeve over my hand before turning to go back to the common room. Neither Fred nor George tried to talk to me. Neither did Harry.

I made it back to the common room before being bombarded by Hermione.

"Jenny! What happened?" she rushed to my side.

"Nothing, I'm fine," I lied and walked past her and towards the stairs. I reached out for the railing to help me up to my room. I was in need of assistance, although I had stopped crying and my eyes were clearing.

"Your hand," Hermione gingerly removed my hand from the railing and examined it. "We have to get you to the hospital wing"

There was no resisting Hermione. I let her lead me to Madame Pomfrey, who ushered me to a bed straight away.

"I've gotten at least five students this week for her detentions!" she cursed as she examined my hand. "This has got to be the worst. I'm afraid it may scar, Miss Bennett"

I didn't respond, but I did try to nod. She cleaned my hand and put something cool on it. Then she wrapped my hand and gave me a dreamless sleep potion.

I dreamed anyway.

_Trees encompassed me, allowing little light to shine through the layers of leaves sheltering me. I treaded forward until I came to water. Suddenly thirsty, I approached the water and began lapping it with my tongue. I enjoyed the cool drink, but realized something was off. The water suddenly turned sour as I opened my eyes. A reflection of a wolf gazed back at me through the dark water. As dark as it was, the wolf appeared white as snow. _

My eyes lazed open and within moments I realized I was in the hospital wing. I propped myself onto my elbows and let my eyes wander until they focused. My gaze was drawn to a change in atmosphere. There was something sitting on my bedside: a pair of brand new quidditch gloves.

I reached out and touched them, elated by their smooth feel under my fingertips. I took one into my hand and went to slip it on only to find the wrapping around my hand was too large. I ripped the clip from the gauze and unraveled my palm, running my finger over the raging red bumps across the back of my hand. I turned back to my glove, covering my wound with my new gift.

_Who left these here? Surely they're for me, but why quidditch gloves? _

I grinned and ripped back the crisp sheets. I slipped on my shoes and darted joyfully towards the quidditch pitch.


	14. Quidditch

I tucked my hair behind my ears and made my way out to the quidditch pitch. It was raining and cold, but I was just happy to be there.

"Harry!" I beamed, running over to him. He seemed particularly pleased at seeing me, which supported my suspicion that he had left the gloves for me. Suddenly, he cringed as his hand flew to his forehead. Ron was at his side and grabbed his arm to keep him from falling.

"I'm fine," he insisted. Ron and I exchanged glances, which he must have seen. "It's Voldemort. I think he's upset that something isn't happening fast enough"

"Potter! Weasley! Bennett!" Angelina shouted from the pitch. We turned to see she was waiting for us to begin. With one last glance at Harry, I mounted my broom and flew to center field.

It was the first Quidditch match of the season, Gryffindor versus Slytherin. Poor Ron was so nervous he couldn't speak. The Slytherins were wearing badges saying "Weasley is our King", implying that he will single-handedly make it an easy win for Slytherin.

"Don't worry, Ron. It's my first game too," I smiled, my hand on his shoulder.

"Yeah, but you don't have a bloody badges mocking you!"

"Harry did last year, and he still won"

"Let's hope I'm as lucky as Harry, then," he scowled. I took a step back and mounted my broom. The doors opened and we shot into the air, circling the pitch until we reached our starting positions. This was my first game ever. I felt a curl of nervousness in my stomach.

I looked to Harry for a reassuring smile, but he was glaring at Malfoy, who was gazing at me. It was unsettling, and I found myself looking for another friendly face. Ron looked terrified, so I kept looking around until I found Ginny. She looked prepared to win and smiled at me. I could see concern in her eyes. I smiled back.

The whistle blew, and the match began.

In a nutshell, the game was fairly pathetic. Poor Ron was so embarrassed by the snide cheering from Slytherins that he missed nearly every shot. Ginny, Angelina, and I made up for it, though. We worked well as a team. Ginny and I had so much practice from summer that our strategies were near identical. I was surprised at how distracted the other team seemed, but I brushed it off and took advantage of it.

Thankfully, Harry didn't seem distracted at all. He caught the snitch and won the game.

Malfoy didn't seem pleased at all, and took defeat in a very Malfoy-like way. He seemed to be shouting insults at us, mainly me. Some of it must have been British slang, because I had _no idea_ what "trollop" meant. It must have been bad, because Harry and George leapt at him with malice.

"Stop!" I ran over to them, "Fred, do something!"

I had a feeling he wasn't going to do a thing for Malfoy. My wand pulsed in my pocket, urging me to use its power. There was _no way_ I was going to get directly involved. Last time I had, well, it didn't turn out so well, so I sprinted for McGonnogal. Of course, Umbridge was with her, but it didn't matter to me. I didn't want anyone to get hurt, and I didn't want to hurt anyone by getting involved.

McGonnogal broke the fight and dragged them to her office, landing them with a week of detention. No one got too badly hurt, but they definitely were bruised and beaten. I offered to take them to the hospital wing, and Professor McGonnogal said it was up to them. I insisted, and they didn't even try to resist.

"I can't _believe_ you did that. You could have gotten hurt-"

"He deserved it," Harry replied bluntly.

"That doesn't mean you have to land yourself a detention by punching him!"

"You don't know what he said about you"

"No word is worth getting beaten up for"

An announcement in an all-too-familiar voice rang from the speakers. Umbridge had produced another decree from the Ministry. This time, she had authority over all punishments. _That had suspicious timing_. I looked at Harry, who was frowning and glaring at the door.

Umbridge entered, proudly announcing that Harry, Fred, and George were off the team. She looked at me as if she desperately wanted to kick me off for instigating the fight, but held back. I glared at her as she walked out, completely comfortable with turning her back to me. Not that I would hex her, but it was _so_ tempting.

I turned to Harry. He was _devastated_. I stood up, determined to fix things.

"Don't worry, Harry," I said before marching towards McGonnogal's office. He followed right after, despite his condition.

"But Professor, she _can't_ ban them! Without them, Gryffindor won't stand a chance!"

"I'm sorry, but there is, regrettably, nothing I can do"

I had a feeling she wanted Umbridge gone just as much as I did.

"It may be in your interest that Hagrid has returned from temporary leave-"

Harry and I exchanged quick glances before running to get his cloak. We hurried to Hagrid's hut, well hidden under the invisibility cloak. However, it seemed that we were outgrowing it. We had to, er, walk close together in order to not uncover our feet.

"Hagrid!" I called as Harry rapped on the large wooden door. The large man opened the door and we slipped in before pulling off the cloak.

"Oi! You two, it's not good ter scare me like that," he grumbled, a large steak pressed against his eye. "Harry, why are yer like that?"

"Me? What about you?" we didn't fail to notice Hagrid looked even worse than Harry.

"This is top secret, all right? Dumbledore sent me to parley with the giants," he said in a low voice.

"Giants?" my eyes widened. He shushed me before continuing.

"I tried to convince them to join the cause, but I wasn't the only one trying to win them over"

"Death eaters?" Harry asked.

"Yes. Trying ter persuade them ter join You-Know-Who" he stopped and looked out the window to see it had turned gloomy. I didn't need to be told he had failed on his quest.

"There's a storm coming," I said, suddenly terrified. It reminded me of my dreams.

"We'd all best be ready when she does"

"Hagrid!" Umbridge's shrill voice ordered from the other side of the door. Hagrid ushered us to hide, and we scurried under the cloak before he opened the door.

"I'm ordering you to tell me where you've been," she stepped in and looked around with distaste.

"I told you, I've been away for me health"

"Your health?"

"Yeah. A bit of fresh air, you know?"

"Oh, yes. As gamekeeper fresh air must be difficult to come by. If I were you, I shouldn't get too used to being back. In fact, I might not even bother unpacking at all!" she took one last grimace at the little hut and left.

"You two best be careful with her around," he warned.

"I'm more worried about you, Hagrid. If she finds your teaching even a bit dangerous or unconventional, she'll sack you!"

"You two best be getting back to the school, now," he insisted, unconcerned for himself. I sank back under the cloak beside Harry and we shuffled back to Hogwarts. Once we were back, and the hall was empty, we whipped the cloak off and I shoved it in my pouch until we got back to the common room.

"Jenny!" Angelina called. I pulled the drawstring closed and whipped around with a smile. "You're replacing Harry as seeker"

My jaw dropped, "I'm what?" Well, I guess it had to happen, since he got kicked off.

"You're the best one for it, since Umbridge banned Harry and the twins," she didn't bother to hide her sour expression.

"Who'll replace me?"

"I've recruited Dean Thomas," she looked almost sick to her stomach.

"I'll do my best, Angelina. Don't worry"


	15. This Kiss

Hagrid led us into the forest. The theastrals were there, many of them wandered carelessly through the foggy wood. There was even a baby theastral. It was cute, in a clumsy way, even though theastrals were generally bony and reptilian, which made them eerie.

"Who can see the creatures?" he asked. To most kids, there was nothing there, but I had the experience of death in my past. Harry, Neville, and I were the only who raised our hands. "They're theastrals. They're a rare sort of beast that can only be seen by those who have witnessed death"

"Or caused it," Malfoy snickered to his thugs. My fists tightened, but I saw Harry in the corner of my eye and stopped. Gryffindor needed me. Surely I would get kicked off the team if I gave Umbridge even a reason to give me another detention. I looked at Harry, searching for salvation from my impulse to slug Malfoy like I did Dudley. Harry seemed to be clenching his jaw, his knuckles white from his tight fists. _Could it be that Harry blames himself for someone's death?_

"Expelliarmus!" I shouted, sending a spell straight at Adry. Her wand flew out of her hand and flipped across the room. "Accio!" the wand zipped back into my free hand.

"Excellent work, Jenny!" Harry shot me a proud smile. I beamed back at him while Adry approached me to get her wand back. She sent me a suggestive look and I slapped her arm before making sure Harry hadn't seen. He was safely checking on other students, so I returned to practicing.

"You know, you're going to lose him if you don't do something. There are girls lined around the block, waiting for a chance with Harry," she whispered.

"Shut up," I hissed, stepping back to give us enough space to continue.

"Expelliarmus!" Adry shouted, only to have _her_ wand fly in the air. It spun around before falling at her feet.

"Your stance," I alerted her, "it's unbalanced. Find a stance that works for you. Your spells will come more easily after that"

She picked up her wand and shifted her feet around before trying any more spells. "Expelliarmus!"

My wand flew out of my hand. A smile stretched across my face, but my congratulation was belated.

"Nice one, Adry! Keep it up!" one of the twins shouted. I didn't see which, but the applause seemed to give Adrienne enough of a confidence boost to want to do it again. I retrieved my wand and faced Adry. We kept going at it until Neville successfully cast his spell. We all crowded around him, cheering for his overdue success.

"So, that's it for this lesson. Now, we're not going to be meeting again until after the holidays, so just keep practicing on your own as best you can. Well done, everyone!" Harry announced. Everyone made their way to the door, but I stopped when I passed an old mirror adorned with photographs and articles. I recognized one of the photos as Cedric in his triwizard champion uniform.

I felt my heart drop as I read over some of the articles of casualties from mysterious circumstances. I, of course, knew they had all been murdered or tortured by Voldemort and his followers. It frustrated me that the ministry was allowing everyone to be so oblivious to the truth. These people deserved to be honored and remembered for the truth.

"Hey, you okay?" Harry appeared behind me. I looked in the mirror and saw that everyone had already left.

"Yeah," I spoke softly, pulling a piece of old parchment out. It was the photo of the original Order. "I just want people to be remembered properly," I said, sticking the photo to the mirror. I didn't want to part with the photo with my mom, but I felt it was the right thing to do. "That's my mum, right there. Michelle," I ran my finger over the photo in the place where my mother stood.

"She's beautiful. You're beautiful"

I turned to Harry, who was looking at me with only love and understanding. _What did I do to deserve him?_

What happened next would change us forever.

We kissed.

That night, I didn't go back to the common room with Harry.

"Where are you going?" Harry asked as we left the Room of Requirement. He was heading for the common room, while I started another route.

"I need some time to think," I inhaled deeply, "alone"

He looked confused and, maybe, hurt. I didn't want to give him the wrong idea, but- hell, I didn't know _what_ was the right idea. I turned away quickly, for looking at him seemed to make my brain stop. I needed to think, and therefore, my brain must be on.

Even after I was far from Harry, I couldn't seem to clear my mind. I even felt a little lightheaded. No matter how hard I tried to focus, all I could see was Harry.

Thoroughly perplexed, I went to the lake for clarity. Frustrated, I slid to the ground with my back against the trunk of the tree. I ran my fingers through my hair, in a vain attempt at calming myself. I decided there was no use in trying to think about anything but Harry, so he would go first.

_I really want to keep Harry as a friend, but that's impossible now that we've kissed. _Even as I thought about it, my stomach did flips. _But how can we be more? We're in the middle of a war. It would be risky to throw dating into the mix. People want to kill Harry, and he needs his mind clear in order to stay sharp and defend himself. If one kiss did all of this to me then what about Harry? I can't be responsible for distracting him. Worse, if I was in danger and he was fighting someone, I would only be a hindrance. I wouldn't want him to sacrifice himself for me. _

_Whoa- _I stopped myself. That was a serious thought. _Would Harry-? No, that would mean he cares more about me than himself. He couldn't love me. _

But even so, I knew that there was more to that kiss than I was convincing myself. 

"Jenny!"

Startled, I jumped near out of my robes. I turned to see Hermione running towards me with her hair flapping wildly behind her.

"Hermione! What are you-"

"It's Mr. Weasley- he's been attacked"


	16. Melancholy

"It's Mr. Weasley- he's been attacked"

Hearing that, I stood and we ran to Dumbledore's office. My heart was racing, even after I stopped running. Inside his office, Dumbledore stood at one end of the room while the Weasleys crowded around a chair. I approached the chair and sat on the arm. Ginny took my hand and I looked down to see a face full of fear. I looked up at Harry, who was sweating heavily and looked deeply stressed. He was so different from only a few hours ago. My heart sank, finally ending the head rush, as I realized the severity of the situation.

We travelled by portkey to St. Mungo's to see Mr. Weasley. I had never seen him so defeated in all my life. I could see snakebites on his face and neck. Nearly all of him was bandaged, and what wasn't was bloody. A nurse quickly ushered us out of the room, muttering something about how he wasn't ready for visitors. Everyone, despite our protests, gathered around the portkey. At the last moment, I pulled back.

I bit my lip, realizing what I had done. There would be consequences, but I wasn't ready to leave yet.

The doorknob turned and the nurse walked out of the room, paying me no mind. When she had rounded the corner, I began to walk into the room. I was careful not to make any noise, for I didn't want to disturb him.

"Jenny?" he murmured. I froze in my step, turning to look at him. He moved his fingers, trying to lift his hand. I approached slowly, sliding my hand beneath his. He wasn't bloody now, but he was bruised and bandaged.

"I'm sorry"

"Sorry? What for?"

"Nothing," I shook it off, but I couldn't quite rid myself of this feeling. I felt almost… guilty. It was like being in the presence of a dementor. _Melancholy. I feel melancholy. _

"How did you know I was attacked?"

"Harry… he had a dream, a sort of vision," I wasn't really sure what it was. _Perhaps a premonition?_ Maybe Harry had _the sight_.

"Thank him for me, will you? I'm afraid I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him," I nodded, "Let everyone know I'm alright. You can send an owl downstairs. There's floo, if you want to go back"

"I can stay a while longer," I said, pulling a chair closer so I could sit beside him.

"It was a snake, wasn't it?"

"Yes, a large snake"

"Is that common? For a snake to be in the Ministry, I mean"

"No… no it's not"

"Maybe it's someone's pet"

"That was no pet"

After a few moments, I found myself staring out the window.

"You best send an owl, I don't want Molly worrying"

I nodded and stood, leaving the room and heading downstairs. I asked a nurse where I could owl, and she gave me directions to their owlry. I looked around for a friendly looking one and came across a unique black one with white flecks and golden eyes.

"Ebony!" I rushed over to her, stroking over her ruffled feathers. She looked a little shaken. Perhaps there had been some strong winds. "Can you take this to Mrs. Weasley and the others?" I said, stuffing pulling out a piece of parchment and wrote three words.

_He'll be okay._

I held out the parchment, which I had rolled up, and she took it into her talon before flying off.

When I left the room, I caught a glimpse of Neville and an elderly woman. Curious, I followed them.

"Hey Neville," I announced my presence before I became too stalkerish.

"Jenny! What are you doing here?"

"Mr. Weasley was attacked by a snake"

"Is he alright?"

"He will be," I tried to smile. I found my eyes wandering towards the unnamed woman.

"Oh, Grandma, this is Jenny. Jenny, my Grandma"

"It's a pleasure to meet you, dear," she smiled up at me, holding my hand between both of hers before releasing me and beginning to continue walking. I walked alongside Neville.

"You too," then I realized it was a rather odd place to run into friends from school. "Neville, why are you here?"

"I'm visiting my parents"

I remembered learning about Neville's parents last year in Dumbledore's office.

"Oh, Neville, I'm so sorry-"

"Fourteen years ago, a death eater named Bellatrix Lestrange used the Cruciatus Curse on my parents. She tortured them for information, but they never gave in. I'm quite proud to be their son, but I'm not sure I'm ready for everyone to know just yet"

He followed his grandmother into a room, then. I watched through the window as Neville cautiously approached his mother. It was as if she were a delicate item that he didn't want to break.

I wandered around in a daze, then. The melancholy seemed to be consuming me, even as the cool green flames consumed me. I dropped the ashes slowly, my hand relaxed and calm as the dust slipped through my fingers.

_Number 12 Grimuald place_

The words flitted through my mind. It was too dangerous to say them out loud, but it worked to just _think_ them if I was using the floo network.

As my body burned, I reminded myself why I was so melancholy. I had almost lost Mr. Weasley, the closest thing I had to a father. The Weasleys were my family now, and I had to focus on them. I can't afford to keep losing people I care about.

"Jenny! Oh Jenny, dear," Mrs. Weasley engulfed me in her embrace.

"You received my owl?"

She looked at me oddly, "yes, dear"

"Mr. Weasley will be fine. He believes Harry's vision saved his life"

The others soon gathered in the room. Mrs. Weasley singled Harry out with a shower of thanks and hugs. I just looked around at everyone. They were all so warm and caring. Fred, George, Ginny, Hermione, and Ron all hurried into the room and smiled in relief when they saw me. Even a few stragglers, Tonks, Mad-eye, and Sirius, made an entrance. Hermione reached out and hugged me before pulling me away from the fireplace and towards the family. My family.


	17. Advice

After dinner, Hermione and I went back to our room.

"Jenny, I have an idea. You remember Rita Skeeter, right?"

I glared at her.

"Well, obviously. Er, anyway, I wanted to make her write an honest story about Harry"

"_Make_ her? Like blackmail?"

"Well, yeah. She's an unregistered animagus, so I thought we could use that as leverage"

A slow grin stretched across my face. "Hermione, you're brilliant! Now everyone will know the truth!" _Maybe people will start supporting Harry_. "Let's write her a letter straight away!" I whipped out my inkless quill Hermione had given me last year. She laughed and we began writing.

"Don't forget to have her meet us. Our next trip to Hogsmeade would be good- the Three Broomsticks. We have to make sure the article has only facts, and those will come from us"

"Got it," I finished the letter and tied it to Ebony's leg, sending her out the window.

When we returned to school, I received a letter from Rita Skeeter including her agreement to our meeting. Luna had argued with her father, but eventually won his blessings to have the article in the _Quibbler_. I promised him that it would only boost their sales, and he seemed to trust me.

Harry had begun Occlumency lessons with Professor Snape, to help him with the visions. He assured me it was going well, so it didn't concern me.

Umbridge had tried to sack Trewlany, but Dumbledore stopped the sadistic toad before she had banished her from the grounds. Poor Trewlany's mental and emotional state, however, were not spared. I hoped she would be okay. She was an odd sort of woman, even more so as a teacher, but no one deserved Umbridge's wrath. Firenze, a centaur, took over Trewlany's class. He was a very interesting teacher and even enchanted the room to look like a forest. I looked forward to his classes.

I was happy to be back with the DA again. We were finally learning, under my request to Harry, how to cast a patronus. I had been eager ever since the attack in late summer.

"A full-bodied patronus is the most difficult to produce, but shield forms can also be equally useful against a variety of opponents- keep trying, Seamus" Harry instructed, wandering about the room and surveying our progress. "Remember, your patronus can only protect you for as long as you stay focused-" he walked closer to Luna and me, "so focus, Luna"

He moved over to me, then. I was frustrated and embarrassed. Mine wasn't coming.

"I'm trying, Harry"

"What memory did you choose?" he asked, walking over to me.

"I was trying to think about my mum, but whenever I do…"

He seemed to understand.

"Try to think about something else. The most powerful memory you've got"

I bit my lip, searching for something pure. Something happy that hadn't lead to something sad.

Then I had it.

"Expecto Patronum!"

_I headed for the table to find at least five people already there. _How many people can really fit in this house?_ I pulled back my chair and sat down, noticing a new face. _

"_Hello," I smiled, taking a mental note that I would have to do some serious memorizing in order to remember everyone's name and match it to their faces. He still seemed to be half asleep, for it seemed he had tried to smile, but didn't swallow his drink first. I glanced at Ginny, but she seemed to have missed it. "I'm Jenny"_

"_I'm Harry, Harry Potter" he introduced after attempting to hide his embarrassment. I smiled reassuringly, his introduction reminded me of James Bond. _

I giggled at the memory, but stopped as soon as a white swirl of light emerged from the tip of my wand. A magnificent ghostly creature formed before me- my patronus.

A wolf.

All fifth years are required to go to Career Advice meetings with their Heads of House. Unfortunately, to say the least, Umbridge decided to attend my meeting.

"Please, sit down, Miss Bennett," McGonnogal motioned towards a chair. I glanced uneasily at her unwanted guest before sitting opposite her. "Do you have a career in mind?"

"Well, what are some you would recommend, Professor?" I honestly hadn't thought too much about any careers.

"Well, Miss Bennett… Your marks seem generally high this year and the last, though your initial satisfactory grades are understandable. I see your Care of Magical Creatures seems to be a strong point, as well as Herbology; as for Defense Against the Dark Arts, your marks have been– are you quite sure you wouldn't like a cough drop, Dolores?"

Professor Umbridge had been coughing during key points, generally those where Professor McGonnogal had mentioned my high marks. McGonnogal brushed the woman off, continuing as if she wasn't taking notes and making assumptions.

"You could become an Auror, Healer, or a Hit Wizard. Both Auror and Hit Wizard are dangerous and require training, but you have the marks-"

"Ahem!" Umbridge interrupted, her voice rising with every word, "the Minister of Magic will never employ Miss Bennett!"

"There may well be a new Minister of Magic by the time Miss Bennett is ready to join!" McGonnogal shouted.

"Aha!" Umbridge's eyes widened with wild accusation as she pointed a stubby finger at her, "Yes! Yes, of course! That's what you want, isn't it _Minerva McGonnogal_? You want Cornelius Fudge replaced by Albus Dumbledore! You think _you'll_ be where I am, don't you, Senior Undersecretary to the Minister- and headmistress to boot!"

McGonnogal's jaw dropped as Umbridge steamed out of the room. I turned back to McGonnogsal, eyes wide at Umbridge's latest craziness.

"She's _mad_"

That was the last thing I said before concluding my advice meeting. I hadn't told her what I wanted to be, but I would probably have to tell her some time this year.

As I was walking back to the commonroom, it came to my attention that Fred and George (who else?) turned the school into a swamp. I ran to Umbridge's office and, finding her absent, grabbed their brooms. Following the path of excited students, I made my way to the twins just as Umbridge was threatening serious punishment.

"Fred! George!" I tossed them their brooms. They grinned madly, winked at me, and saluted to peeves in resignation before flying off. I grinned as students around me cheered.

I wished I could escape Umbridge so easily.

"Miss Bennett!" Umbridge pursed her lips, turning her anger at me, "my office- _now_"


	18. Sorry

"This time you'll be writing _I will conform_"

I wrote in silence, filling the page with the phrase. I wasn't going to back down. I would be showing weakness if I didn't outdo myself this time, or at least match by filling the page. The only difference was that Fred and George weren't here to support me this time.

It was the final match of the season and Harry wasn't there. Or, rather, he was in the stands and I was in his place. We were matched against Ravenclaw, this time, which didn't worry me much. Slytherin was our main opponent while Ravenclaw didn't spend nearly as much time excelling in sports as in school.

I stood proudly as we entered the pitch, flying to my position on my broom. I nodded to Ron, who had been practicing significantly since the last game. We were determined to win this.

The whistle blew and our team swept into action. I watched from above as our new players desperately tried to score. Angelina and Ginny were enough to get us some points, but we were pretty well matched by Ravenclaw. Ron was keeping up pretty well, though.

Then I saw it.

I zipped forward, my broom much faster than the other team's seeker's. I followed the snitch, a golden little sun that was determined to exhaust me from the chase. It flew enthusiastically, like a Tom and Jerry chase from a cartoon. The only difference was- I caught it.

"Miss Bennett," Umbridge's voice pulled me to a halt, "come with me, please, to my office. We're going to have some tea"

I turned and followed her. I was supposed to be meeting Hermione. She had wanted to talk about something.

"Now," she added firmly.

I wasn't pleased, but I didn't say anything that would get me kicked off the quidditch team. Our next game was soon, and they couldn't afford to lose me.

"Why is it that I'm here?" I asked, hesitantly coming into her pink perfume room. I also wondered why we needed an audience, but I wasn't too keen in asking them directly.

"This is my inquisitorial squad. Perhaps you've considered joining it-" I looked at her like she had asked me if I had eaten any slugs lately. "No matter, you wouldn't have made the cut"

"Is there sugar in this?" I asked, gesturing to the cup of tea sitting before me. She shook her head, but pushed a small dish towards me anyhow.

"Miss Bennett, do you, perhaps, know of any illicit activities happening at Hogwarts?" she inquired in a way that was suspiciously like a "good cop" interrogation.

"No, I don't reckon there is anything bad happening, or else your loyal pawns, here, would have caught it and put an end to it," I smiled smugly, sipping at my tea.

"Miss Bennett, you must not keep secrets-"

_I must not keep secrets_ was still carved into the back of my hand, a now permanent scar. I scowled, nearly spitting out my tea.

"Are you sure there's no sugar in this?" I asked, removing it from my lips. _There is definitely something funky about this tea._

"Miss Bennett, would you say you are fond of Professor Dumbledore?"

"Yes, he's a rather wise old man. He always seems to know what's happening-"

I furrowed a brow, surprised by my openness. Umbridge seemed pleased.

"Miss Bennett, would you say Dumbledore thinks himself wise?"

"I guess. He seems to be rather witty when it comes to words"

_What's going on?_

"Would you say Dumbledore thinks himself above the ministry?"

"No, he doesn't think like that. Dumbledore just sees people-"

_What the _bloody hell _is going on?_

"Miss Bennett, is Dumbledore turning against the ministry?" she rephrased. My eyes widened and I looked down at the tea. _They put Veritaserum in it!_

"Well, that all depends on what you consider…" I tried to avoid direct answers. I couldn't seem to stop babbling, let alone _lie_. I narrowed my eyes at her, not giving up just yet.

"Is Dumbledore building an uprising or not?"

"You know, I don't really like the color lavender. Dumbledore seems to favor it a lot-"

"Miss Bennet, I advise you to stay on topic-"

"The only lavender thing I own is my new pair of quidditch gloves Harry gave me. Really sweet of him, I think-"

Oh god, I did _not_ want to babble about Harry on front of all of these Slytherins.

"Miss Bennett-"

"Then there's pink, which isn't _all_ bad, but this much pink is disgusting. It's like barbie barfed in here-"

"_Miss Bennett!_ I implore you to _stop speaking_"

"I would if I could, Professor, but I just can't seem to stop!"

"Please, Professor. Allow me to try," a blonde girl offered. Professor Umbridge seemed to be on her wits end and allowed her to proceed"

"It's you, that Slytherin girl from before-"

"I want you to answer yes or no: is there a rebellion?" she looked me dead in the eye with her moss green eyes.

"Your eyes are such a pretty color. It's a pity that they vein such a cold unforgiving soul"

"Yes or no," she glared, leaning in until I felt as if she were squeezing my lungs.

"It depends on what you mean. I'm not sure if Dumbledore's Army counts as a rebellion-"

Shit.

"_Dumbledore's_ Army?" Umbridge's ears perked.

"Where can we find this army?" the girl asked.

"Within the walls of Hogwarts," I pressed against the back of my chair, hoping I could just sink into it and never come out.

"Where do you meet?" she specified.

"The Room of Requirement"

"Inquisitorial Squad," Umbridge barked, shuffling her way out of her office. She was probably on her way to bust Dumbledore's Army right now. _No! No no no!_

The girl stood tall, her eyes never leaving mine.

"Who are you?"

"Blaire! You coming?" someone shouted behind me. She looked at the doorway briefly before turning back to me.

"Your father wants to meet you"

"What?" my eyes near popped out of their sockets. "I don't understand, how-

"You can find him at the Ministry. He's a prisoner of Voldemort"

"I don't understand-"

"He's in the Department of Mysteries! Are you even _listening_?"

"Yes, I am, but what I don't get is why you're helping me"

"I have my reasons," she turned and left swiftly, leaving me to take in what she had said.

I darted out of the chair and ran for the doors. My heart was racing _my dad is alive and he needs me._

I didn't even stop by my dorm- it would take too much time.

Blaire had said he was at the Department of Mysteries at the Ministry. I wasn't quite sure where exactly in the building he was, but I had been there before and been through the halls from Harry's trial. I never thought that experience would come in handy later.

I knew if Hermione had known about this she would say it was a trap. I knew the possibility and the risk, but if he's really there then he needs my help. He's the only family I've got left.

Seeing Mr. Weasley so close to death made me realize that I have to protect those I love.

Even if that meant leaving them.

A thought occurred to me. A terrifying one.

What if I didn't come back?

I was going to face death eaters and, possibly, Voldemort himself. There was _no way_ I was going to make it out alive.

I felt as if someone had ripped out my gut. _I'm never going to see Harry again._

I pulled out my broom and swung my leg over, lifting into the air and turning around. I flew straight for the boys' dorms. When I reached the window, I dug my fingernails into the crack and pulled it open. I flew into the room, finding it eerily empty. The only reason they wouldn't be back by now is if they were captured.

I felt a pang of guilt. I had betrayed the DA and I had betrayed Harry. I reached into my pouch and pulled out my journal. I had written everything in here, my feelings, thoughts, and songs. I felt that Harry deserved to know, even if I couldn't tell him myself. I set the book gingerly onto Harry's bed, leaving one word written on an open blank page.

_Sorry_


	19. Mysteries

I had to get to London by broomstick. That would take over five hours from Hogwarts! He could be dead by then.

I leaned forward and flew faster, pushing 60mph. After a few hours I was getting a little tired and my stomach was growling angrily, so I used the bedazzling hex and pulled down into an alley in a town. I stowed away my broom in my pouch and released my hex. I turned into the street, avoiding eye contact with anyone. I looked around at the buildings for a quick place to eat. _Bakehouse Hill Coffee Shop. _It was a nice stone building with a tapestry sign. It didn't look like a busy place to me. Perhaps it was a "mom & pop" shop in someone's home. I decided to go there, but I was shocked at what I saw. It was a fancy restaurant.

"May I take your robe, Miss?" a man with a suit asked.

"Huh?" I looked down to see I was wearing my Hogwarts robe. "Oh, no, I'm fine, thanks"

"Follow me to your seat, please," he crinkled his nose, leading me to a table. "I'll be back with your water in a moment"

"Actually, can you bring a menu? I'm sort of in a hurry"

"Of course, Miss," he smiled politely before leaving at a relaxed pace. I found myself bouncing my knee with anticipation as I waited. I had wanted a quick grab-and-go, not a five-course meal!

"Here you are. Can I start you off with some tea?" he asked, pouring some water. He offered me a menu, but I didn't bother opening it.

"I'll have the salad," I handed it back to him.

"Which one? We have the ceasar, house-"

"It doesn't matter"

He seemed taken aback by my rudeness. "Well, for dressings we have the raspberry-"

"Raspberry is fine"

"I'll go put in your order," he closed his little book and tried to conceal his glare. Thankfully, the salad didn't take long to come, although it felt like forever. I scarfed it down, with a few wandering stares from other customers, and flagged down my waiter.

"Yes?" he asked.

"My bill, please"

"I'll go get it"

"No, wait," I fished in my pockets and pulled out a galleon, since I didn't have any muggle money with me. "Will this be enough?"

His eyes widened as he took the coin. "I don't think we have enough change for this"

"It's fine, keep it," I said, standing from my chair. I finished my water off and threw on my robe before leaving the restaurant. I quickened my pace and turned into a dark alley. I whipped out my wand and recast the hex, turning me invisible. Two guys turned into the alley, looking around confusedly. I whipped out my broom and zipped forward right in-between the two men. They stumbled and fell, and I chuckled as I flew above the buildings.

"Point me," I muttered, causing my wand to spin in the palm of my hand. I followed it due south, making sure that if I turned, even a little, that it was east.

It only took a couple of hours, then. I found the Ministry and landed on front of the doors. I put my broom in my pouch and walked towards the doors. They were, of course, locked.

"Alohamora," the door obliged and I slipped in. It didn't take long for me to find the Department of Mysteries. I had been there before, for the trial. That and the female voice telling me which department I was in whenever I opened a door. That helped.

"Department of Mysteries," the woman's voice rang from above. I wandered through the dark room with only my wand's light to lead the way.

_Hall of Prophecies_

It seemed to be calling to me, in a way. It might sound crazy, but I thought I heard a voice. Not a man's voice, though. It was a woman's.

I opened the door slowly, my wand at the ready.

To my surprise- it was empty. The corridor ran long until it disappeared into blackness. I was drawn by a woman's voice down the corridor. As I drew closer, the words became clearer.

"_Born from darkness, conceived by light, a choice must be made, a path must she take, to decide our futures, to determine her fate…"_

It was my mom's voice.

The shadows swirled into the form of a man, fully cloaked in black. I directed my wand at him, ready to cast a spell in a moment's notice. My heart thumped in my chest, pulsating through my arm and into my wand.

"Where is he? Where is my father?"

"Patience. You may see your father, but- you must give me that right there"

I looked at the glass ball, swirling with magic. It was still speaking, and I wondered briefly if he could hear it. I wondered, then, why I felt as if I knew the words before they were spoken. It was almost as if I had heard them before.

"Yes," he breathed as I reached towards the shelf, "give me the prophecy"

If I gave this to him, he would have leverage. He could kill me on the spot- and my father. For all I knew, my father could be dead.

"Let me see my father, first," I insisted, my hard gaze set on his mask.

"Very well," he swept his wand over his face. His mask disappeared into smoke, revealing his face.

My face.


	20. Empty Handed

"What?" this was a trick. Magic. Dark magic.

"You don't recognize your own father?" He stepped forward.

"You're not my father. My father couldn't be a-"

"But I am. You could be too. Your wand, it's basilisk core, isn't it?" _What's he getting at?_ "Incredibly rare; Basilisks. They're terribly hard to kill if you are ever unfortunate enough to come across one. They're often heirlooms of Slytherin-type Purebloods and always bond to a budding dark wizard"

"No," I shook my head, trying to make it all go away.

"I can tell you about Michelle. I can answer all of your questions. I can tell you who killed her. All you have to do is give me the prophecy," he outstretched his hand, palm open and empty.

Tempted, I looked down at the swirling magic. If I were to give it to him, I would have all of my answers. It would be easy: simple.

However, I remembered what Dumbledore's words last year. _If you study, you shall gain that knowledge when you are well learned. You will find that where your heart leads you may not be where you expect, but that you __**will**__ discover the truth._

"Never!" I sent a spell at him, knocking him back into the darkness. I took the opportunity to run. I sprinted; taking turns that I thought led to the exit. I realized that I had no bloody idea where I was. Hearing footsteps, I ran forward only to crash into someone.

"Harry!" I nearly screamed from surprise- and relief. If we weren't currently in danger, I'd hug him and never let go.

"Jenny! You're alive!" he looked just as relieved as I was- glad, even. I noticed a glass ball in his hand, filled with swirling smoke. The color of the smoke in both of our prophecies seemed to change, but I was woken from my trance before I was completely entranced.

"This way!" Neville's voice alerted me. Harry and I darted after him, avoiding attacks from two death eaters who were pursuing us. We ended up in another room: the Time Chamber.

A spell shot past my head and Harry lunged for the death eater, distracting and, potentially, injuring him physically. The second death eater looked as if he was about to alert his allies of our location.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, stunning the death eater before he could leave.

"Expelliarmus!" Neville shouted, disarming the death eater- and Harry.

I stunned at him when he was distracted, sending him tipping backwards. His head landed in some sort of crystal tower. His head transformed into that of a baby's, then aged until it was an old man, then back in a cycle. I was transfixed: amazed and horrified by the transformation.

"Come on!" Harry grabbed my hand, yanking me from my trance and into another room.

"Impedimenta!" Two death eaters bombarded us at once. I stumbled over my feet, shaken by the spell.

"Stupefy!" I shouted, sending a curse at a death eater. Unfortunately, because I was still regaining balance, my aim was off. Luckily, I hit the other death eater. Harry placed the other death eater under the body-bind curse.

"Let's get out of here-" I began, heading for the door.

"We can't- the others are here" Harry stopped me.

"How many?"

"Luna, Hermione, Ron, and Ginny"

"Then let's meet with them and get out. They want these, Harry. Whatever they want them for, it can't be good," I held out my prophecy, now swirling with purple clouds of magic.

Hearing a scream, we all ran from the room and followed the sound. It sounded like- Ginny.

When we arrived at the Thought Chamber, Ginny was on the ground. She was in shock. All color was drained of her face and she held her ankle while staring blankly before her. Ron seemed highly confused, mumbling something about brains. I noticed, then that there was a giant tank full of brains behind him. "Luna," I called, hoping for some information on what happened.

She smiled dreamily at me, despite the situation, "we've slowed them down a bit, but we don't have much time"

Suddenly, a swarm of dark magic swirled around us, forming death eaters.

"Brain!" Ron shouted in attempt to fight a death eater. He had summoned a brain, stunning Hermione and Luna on the spot. I noticed one particular death eater slip out a door in the back. I charged after him, determined to get some answers- and if not- justice.

As my foot passed through the doorway, air rushed from my lungs. The floor had disappeared and I was now plunging towards the stone floor beneath me.

It seemed I fell four stories before I reached the ground. I wasn't hurt, though. There was some sort of charm on the place that made me stop a foot from the ground before letting gravity take me.

I lifted my head from the ground, spotting him making a run for it. My wand pulsed in my hand, thirsting for a curse.

"Impedimenta!" I shouted, scrambling to my feet before running towards him. He stopped in his tracks, immobilized by my spell. "Who are you?" I asked, pointing my wand at him.

"My name is Alaric"

"Alaric _who_?" I narrowed my eyes.

"…Bennett"

As he spoke, I stretched my fingers and re-curled them around my wand. My wand was pulsing, a devil chanting in my ear. He took this as encouragement, and carried on.

"The prophecy in your hand, you know what it says, don't you? Your mother herself speaks the words you hear. She had _the sight_, and foretold this prophecy. She was in your company at the time, and you made the mistake of repeating it to another"

My heart raced as he shared a piece of my past. I had a feeling I wasn't going to like what came next.

"That's why she's dead"

"No," I pressed my wand to his throat with growing need for revenge. I didn't get the reaction I thought I would, however.

With a sick smile, he continued, "you can feel it, can't you? The dark malicious intent pulsing through your veins. Like it or not, Jen, _you_ are the reason your mother is dead. _You_ are the reason your friends are here, hurt, and perhaps killed already," he snickered, "It was _you_ who led Potter straight to us"

"Crucio!" I cried, knocking him off his feet with a yelp. It didn't work, however, for he didn't seem to be in pain. In fact, he was laughing.

"You want the prophecy? You can have it!" I chucked it at the ground, sending shards of glass across the floor. The purple smoke disappeared into the damp air, leaving nothing in its wake. The look of devastation crossed his face, flashing to failure, then to- fear.

Unexpectedly- Harry fell from the sky.

"Harry! Get out of here-" while I was distracted, Alaric had snatched my wand from my hand, holding his against my neck. He had me in his grasp, as easy to kill as a bubble is to pop.


	21. Slipped Away

Without warning, Mr. Malfoy appeared from the shadows.

"I'll make this simple for you, Potter. Give me the prophecy now or watch her die"

"Break it! Break it-" I whimpered desperately, in result he pressed the wand harder against my neck.

I watched as Harry slowly moved forward, about to hand Malfoy the prophecy. My eyes widened as a beautiful white smoke curled down beside Harry. It was like the shadow of the death eaters- but light.

"Get away from my godson," Sirius demanded, forming next to Harry. White swirls cascaded around me. Spells zipped around in all directions, making any effort to move dangerous. I felt Alaric's grip disappear as he engaged in battle with Professor Moody.

Harry appeared before me, taking my hand and pulling me through the chaos and, presumably, towards safety.

Unexpectedly, I was yanked backwards by my hair. I let out a yelp, stumbling backwards and out of Harry's grasp.

"Hand me the prophecy, Potter, or she dies"

"Harry-" Malfoy yanked back at my hair, cutting me short. I looked pleadingly at Harry, praying for him to understand. He outstretched his hand, turning it and thrusting the prophecy towards the ground.

"Diffindo!" I shouted, slicing off the chunk of hair in Malfoy's hands. Consequently, I fell forward, unable to balance myself. Harry caught me, but I could tell Malfoy wasn't happy. Harry's arm curled protectively around me, the other gripping his wand as he cast a shield charm.

"Take Jenny and go!" Remus ordered, now standing protectively between Malfoy and us.

"Come on," Harry turned, pulling me through what seemed like endless mayhem. Suddenly, a great force of good arrived. I could feel the change in the room. The death eaters began spinning desperately towards the exit as Dumbledore emerged from the whirl of smoke. Harry stopped running when he saw Dumbledore skillfully rounding up death eaters.

I spotted one death eater that was sneaking through a door across the room: my father.

My hand slipped from Harry's as I pursued Alaric into the next room. I followed him into the Atrium. It was spacious and arched with a large tapestry of the minister and lines of fireplaces for floo travel.

As I chased him, my adrenaline rushed through me like a flash of lightning. Mixing with my unsorted emotions gave a negative result.

"Crucio!" I shouted in the heat of the moment- desperate to stop him from escaping. He yelped, falling to the ground. I approached him, slowing when I was close enough to see his face. He wasn't in pain- he was just shaken.

"Who killed her?" I barked. Slowly, a sly smile formed across his face and he began to chuckle. I began to steam with rage- he wasn't supposed to be amused! "_Who killed her?_"

I watched as he disappeared into smoke, slipping through my fingers.

"No!" I cried, shooting spells at the swirling smoke in vain. No matter how I tried, I didn't know where to aim in order to stop him. He escaped.

"Crucio!" For an instant I was in excruciating pain- then- nothing. I peeled myself from the floor; my wand had slid across the floor far out of reach. I had no means of defense. I turned over to face my attacker.

"Harry?" the shock on my face was mirrored onto his. A swirl of black smoke twirled over my head before disappearing.

"Jenny! I was aiming for Bellatrix-"

"Harry, behind you!" I screamed. Voldemort had appeared, and he was about to curse Harry.

It seemed to happen all at once. My worst nightmare had become real all in one night.

"Avada Kadavra!" A flash of green shot from a quickly-forming death eater straight at Harry. For some reason, Harry wasn't killed.

"It was really foolish of you to come here, tonight, Tom. The Aurors are on their way," Dumbledore strode towards us.

"By which time I will be gone and you shall be… dead," this death eater had a snake-like appearance like no other. Voldemort.

A dazzling, but terrible, series of spells flashed through the room. Dumbledore knocked Harry back, sending him skidding as far away from the battle as possible. He was sent in my direction, and I crawled to him. He seemed captivated by the two of them and had forgotten we were still in immediate danger.

"Harry… Harry!" I shook him by his shoulder. He seemed to understand my warning, but made no move towards safety. I grabbed his arms and attempted to drag him back to a pillar which we could take solace behind. It was the best I could do.

When I finally got him there, I collapsed against the wall. I didn't know how much more I could take today.

A flash of green light I recognized as the killing curse flew straight at Dumbledore. He was so distracted at protecting us from stray spells that he didn't seem to be able to block or counter it. We watched in awestruck horror as the spell left Voldemort's wand and went straight at the man who was protecting us instead of himself.

The cry of a Phoenix broke the silence as Fawkes intercepted the spell. He burst into flames and swirled to the ground in ashes. He was a phoenix and would be reborn again; a loyal companion to the great wizard who still stood against Voldemort. Dumbledore turned to Voldemort, who seemed to realize he wasn't going to win this fight. He disappeared and all went still as we took in everything that had happened.

For some reason, I still felt as if we were in danger.

Suddenly, Harry screamed and fell to the ground, his scar bursting open with unbearable pain.

"Harry!" I shouted, moving towards him in vain attempt at easing his pain. Voldemort was taking over his body and there was nothing I could do.

"Kill me," he begged, writhing on the floor in intolerable pain. He lifted his head, looking at me with Harry's eyes- but also Voldemort's.

Dumbledore ran over to us as I stared- horrified. Harry was struggling physically as well as mentally for control over his own body. He curled back like a snake and thrashed back and forth.

"It's not how you are alike- it's how you are not" Dumbledore spoke, attempting to contact him through his struggle for control. "Harry?"

"You're the weak one… You'll never know love… or friendship… and I feel sorry for you."

In one last attempt, Harry expelled Voldemort from his body. His eyes stared in horror at a spot behind me before passing out completely.


	22. I'm to Blame

"He's back!" Cornelius Fudge appeared with his army of Aurors, just a _little_ too late for my taste. I felt sour hatred for the man, but it was a feeble emotion compared to everything else I was feeling.

"Jenny, take Harry back to my office. I will meet you there momentarily"

"Sir-"

"Everyone from the DA is alive"

"The DA?" I asked, wondering why he was being so specific. Was someone else- dead?

I didn't have the chance to ask further, for Dumbledore handed me a portkey and I was expunged from the Ministry involuntarily.

The thrill of travelling by portkey must have awoken Harry, because he was awake when I looked at him.

I fell against the stone wall of Dumbledore's office, sliding until I hit the ground. Harry didn't speak, so I decided to go first.

"I met my father tonight. I wish I hadn't. It's funny, how I've spent so many years hoping, waiting, searching- only to find what I did" when I finally looked at Harry, he didn't seem surprised.

"I knew… Your father was one of the death eaters in the graveyard last year"

He was waiting for my response, but I didn't get mad. I might have before tonight- but not now. I had learned too much.

The Weasleys had lied to me about Karen, but they did it out of love- to protect me. Harry had done the same. I almost lost Mr. Weasley before and tonight I almost lost Harry.

"You asked me to kill you, you know" I looked up, "do you remember?"

Harry shook his head.

"It was Voldemort hoping you'd take revenge on Harry for your mother's death. Trying to fool you into thinking you could kill him by killing Harry," Dumbledore walked over to us. I hadn't noticed him arrive. We looked up at him, but didn't speak.

"I should have told you, Harry. I hoped that by distancing myself from you, as I have done this year, that Voldemort would be less tempted to make the connection between you"

"The prophecy said _neither one can live while the other survives_. That means one of us is going to have to kill the other in the end," Harry waited for confirmation.

"Yes"

_Only one of them is going to make it through the war_. This thought had occurred to me, and didn't surprise me- but it felt like it was happening so quickly.

"Sir, our prophecies turned purple when they were near each other" Harry asked. Dumbledore's head snapped up. He must have been thinking, but not revealing everything to us.

"Iunctus Oraculum. There are, though extremely rare, cases where one prophecy affects another. Connected prophecies. You see, there was not only one prophecy Voldemort wanted in his possession. Voldemort wanted those prophecies because he only heard the first part of the prophecy all those years ago. He believes the rest could tell him how to be victorious"

_Tell him how to kill Harry_

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"For the same reason you tried to save Jenny, and she tried to protect you. After all these years, after all you've suffered; I didn't want to cause you any more pain. I care too much about you"

_I guess I cared too much. _

"That's the distinguishing power you have that he doesn't, Harry- love."

_Can love really make Harry win?_

"On the night you saw Mr. Weasley attacked, Voldemort figured out that your scar allowed you to be privy to Voldemort's thoughts and actions. Assuming this connection must work both ways, Voldemort began forcing his way into your thoughts, which is why I ordered Snape to give you Occlumency lessons," he turned to me, "Voldemort knew that you would go to great lengths to save you, Jenny, so he projected the image of your capture into Harry's mind"

I looked down, ashamed that I had caused all this. I was foolish and naïve to think my father wanted to meet me. Nothing was keeping him from seeing me all these years. The only reason I met him was because he needed me to do his dirty work.

"Don't blame yourself, Jenny. No one blames you for what has happened."

_I do_.

"I think I need to go to the hospital wing," I stood and left without more than a glance towards them.

I did go to the hospital wing, although you may have thought I was lying to avoid the situation. I didn't go to the Hospital Wing to rest, though. I wanted to see for myself that my friends were safe.

They weren't in much better condition than before, since they had just arrived, but I could see that they were alive and would recover. I hoped, at least.

"Ron!" I rushed to the first bed. He was the one I worried about the most, for he was injured mentally.

He grinned madly when he saw me. "Ha ha... Jenny, look at this...Brains! I touched a brain..." He held up his arms, which were covered in purple marks. His grin faded and became an expression of fear and pain. "Make them go away! Jenny, the brains!"

"Miss Bennett, out of the way!" Madame Pomfrey rushed past me to tend to Ron. I stepped back, making my way to Luna and Hermione, who were unconscious still. I walked to Neville, then, who's worst injury seemed to be a broken nose.

"Hey Neville… doing okay?"

"Yeah, I'll be alright," he tried to smile, but held sincerity.

"I'm sorry I left you," I said to both him and Ginny, although she didn't seem to be paying too much attention. She didn't seem a bit better than when I first saw her in the room with the brains. I looked away and began to leave the room.

"Jenny," I turned back when I was called, "will you be alright?"

"I'm fine," I assured him, although I hadn't directly addressed his question, nor had I told him the truth.

I was _not_ fine.

I went to the girls' bathroom, trying not to let Moaning Myrtle's wailing upset me, and splashed my face with cool water. When I looked up, I saw my father's face staring back at me. We really did look alike. Enraged, I pulled out my wand and cut off the rest of my hair. I had already had a nice chunk missing from when Mr. Malfoy grabbed me. Now, my entire head of hair was chopped to that length. It wasn't pretty, but it was better than walking around with a random chunk of hair ripped out. It also made me feel a _little_ better.


	23. The Finale

Searching for clarity, I went to the lake. I found Harry there, sitting by the edge by himself. I walked towards him, though I didn't exactly know what to say, since I was planning on being here alone to think.

"He's dead," Harry spoke, aware of my presence. "Sirius is dead"

_No_. The news sank in like a boulder dropped in still water. A lurch of pain followed by a swelling sorrow. This was what Dumbledore failed to tell me. Someone from the Order had died. Someone important. Sirius.

I reached out to touch Harry, but I didn't exactly feel prepared. _What words could I possibly say to ease his pain? _I watched as he ran his fingers through his tangled mess of hair. I rested my left hand on his shoulder.

"It's my fault," Harry said, his gaze unmoving.

"No, it's mine. I made a mistake and I can never take it back- I can't bring him back." I felt tears coming, but I kept my voice as strong as I could. Harry covered my hand with his, letting me know he forgave me.

"If we're gonna make this work, you've gotta let me inside even though it hurts. Don't hide the broken parts that I need to see. Like it or not, it's the way it's gotta be. You've gotta love yourself if you can ever love me"

I sat down on the grass, never letting go of his hand.

"I'm so sorry"

He took me into his arms and cried.

/

I learned that Dumbledore saved Umbridge from a bunch of centaurs and that McGonnogal was recovering in the hospital from some sort of attack. Hermione, Ron, and Harry had filled me in on what happened after I left. Of course, Harry's version had a few extra experiences: namely, finding my journal and having a vision of me at the ministry. (He seemed to explain it vaguely, which bothered me a bit).

Hermione "fixed my hair" as she put it. I didn't really care about it, but she made a fuss about it so I let her go at it. She had cut it even and added layers, making it look much less like a fool's work than I had.

Everyone who had been injured in the battle at the Department of Mysteries recovered before the end of the term. Dumbledore was headmaster again and all was right with the school.

However, nothing would be the same again.

I had a feeling the war had only just begun, and that there was more to come.

More to die.

"I'll send Ebony every day," I grinned, glad to be with my friends again.

"You'll make Ron write, too, won't you?" Hermione leaned forward to look past Harry. Ron snickered.

"Of course," I laughed, thinking of ways I could torture Ron to get him to write Hermione. I didn't need to ask Harry if he'd write- I knew he would. "You should visit us, Harry, in the summer. I'd come see you again, but that didn't exactly work out last time"

"Yeah, Aunt Petunia would probably be measuring you for a wedding dress if you came by again," Harry snickered. The thought horrified me, which only made it more amusing to them.

"There they are!" Mrs. Weasley exclaimed, standing beside her husband.

"Mr. Weasley!" I grinned, running to hug him. I was _so_ happy to see him in good health.Ginny and Ron followed suit, but not nearly as enthusiastically as I had. We turned to walk away when I took one last look back at my friends. Hermione was happily chatting and hugging her parents, explaining everything exciting that had happened at school this past year.

Harry was with Vernon, Petunia, and Dudley (whose eye had healed, I might add). I caught Harry's gaze and reminded myself it wasn't really goodbye, and found myself smiling, even as we entered the muggle taxi.

"What's got you so happy?" Ron asked as we squeezed in the backseat.

"I'm just happy to be at home again"

/

Thanks for reading the sequel to Brick By Boring Brick! This lets me know that you guys like my writing and I should keep going. I hope you enjoyed Come Back To Me, and will read the next part of Jenny's story: Far Away.


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